


Memories Gone Cold

by Merecel



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Brainwashing, Eventual Smut, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Smut, Implied/Referenced Brainwashing, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Love Triangles, Redemption, Smut
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-04
Updated: 2019-01-14
Packaged: 2019-01-29 10:33:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 39,198
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12629109
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Merecel/pseuds/Merecel
Summary: Soldier 76 reminisces about Mercy and their first time together. Fluffy smut, cursing, alcohol, rated M for a reason. Multi chapter, plot heavy. What will happen when he rejoins Overwatch as Soldier 76? Will she recognize him? Also posted on Fanfiction originally.





	1. The First Memory

There were explosions all around him, gunfire echoed off the abandoned buildings and warehouses of Dorado from the Los Muertos gang that currently surrounded him. Hunkered down behind some empty boxes, he pressed his back against the crates and let out a soft sigh, the vigilante trying to focus on the task at hand. But all he could think about was her. The angel in his dreams that he had left behind when he had died. No longer was he the Jack Morrison she had known and loved, now he was just a soldier. Soldier 76. Trying to uncover the truth about Overwatch's fall.

The noises around him faded away as he recalled the first time he had seen her, just after the Omnic Crisis had ended. She was only seventeen then, the brightest doctor he had ever met, and the most beautiful. He was much older than her, that was obvious, but even then he couldn't deny that he was attracted to her. Her platinum blonde hair was short, wavy from her natural curls and he could tell she didn't like violence. Not like Gabriel, his best friend and partner. He liked her, too, a silent feud ensuing between the two for the girl's affection. Not that either would admit it, of course, they were much older than her and she was so focused on her work. Any opportunity he could see her, he took, feigning injuries just to be let into her lab and spend a little bit of time with her, watch her nose scrunch as she poured over some research papers for ways to cure his sore muscles. He liked to think she prolonged their sessions to spend time with him, too.

A bullet whizzed past his head and broke the corner of the wooden crate he was leaning against, snapping him from his reverie. His eyes snapped open from behind the visor and he growled, loading his pulse rifle with the helix rockets he had stolen from the Overwatch headquarters in Grand Mesa. Waiting for just the right moment, the shuffling of feet echoing off the alleyway in which he was hidden, 76 leaped out from behind the crate and shot the rockets towards the Los Muertos gang, killing two instantly and injuring the other three before he took off like a shot down a narrow alleyway to his right. Leaning against the wall, he peered around the corner to see two armed men walking towards him, their guns raised as they searched for the vigilante that was slowly decimating their squadron.

He waited until one passed by and grabbed him, a gloved hand clamping over his mouth while he shot the other in the back, twisting his arm to snap the neck of the one in his grasp. Mercy would never have approved of this approach, she would have chastised him until she was red in the face, and he wouldn't have cared, he would have just kept smiling at her until she pouted and walked away. His darling Angela.

_"Why do you never take me seriously?" she asked, her accent still quite thick although her English was excellent._

_"I do take you seriously," Jack said, shaking his head and reaching for her hand._

_She pulled away and crossed her arms over her chest, turning her back to him and sticking her nose in the air. "You do not. You treat me like a child," she countered, puffing up her chest slightly._

_Jack chuckled and stepped behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her to his chest. "Angie-"_

_"Don't 'Angie' me, Jack, your charms won't work on me," she said, moving to step away from him._

_But he didn't release her, kept her in his arms and rested his chin in the crook of her neck, the fragrance of her hair permeating into his nose. "Angie, I don't treat you like a child. I don't see you as a child," he whispered, his grip on her tightening every so slightly. He didn't want to lose her, he didn't want to push her away, so how could he show how he felt about her. They had hugged before, that was nothing new, he'd even put his arm around her waist for group photos. But this...this was different, she needed to know that. Angling his chin, he pressed his lips to her neck so gently he thought she had missed it, but only a moment later he could see the goosebumps rise up on her skin and she wasn't trying to pull away anymore._

"Vamanos!" a shout pulled him from his memory as he looked down at the two dead men at his feet, looking around for an escape route. Just as he went to move, another gunshot echoed off the alleyway and he felt the sudden impact of a bullet tear through his right shoulder, the front of his jacket torn open. An exit wound. Good! At least he wouldn't have to tear it out or worry about it rattling inside him. 76 gripped the wound with his good, empty hand, running down another alleyway and throwing his biotic field to the ground; immediately his blood stopped running over his hand and onto the street, the wound stitching of it's own accord from the nanotechnology that was held within the device, and he instantly remembered Mercy's own healing caduceus.

_"Keep going, I've got you," she said, pressing the button on her staff that extended a beam of nanobots to heal him, a slight warmth spreading through his body as the bots did their work and kept him healed. Mercy smiled at him, the wings of her suit spreading out and she truly looked like an ang_ el.

The one that had shot him rounded the corner, skidding to a halt at the haunting sight before him: an angry soldier, visor covering his scarred face, the light from the biotic field glowing beneath him, and a pulse rifle aimed right at his face. "What are YOU looking at?" 76 barked, pulling the trigger on the rifle and shooting the man in the face, unloading another barrel of the helix rockets into the men who turned the corner, killing them instantly. There were no more shouts or running feet in those alleyways, no more gunfire echoing off the buildings, and no more explosions in the distance. Had he eliminated all of them? 76 was so tired, he was getting too old for this, but he had a mission and the vigilante would not rest until justice had been served. Seeking refuge in one of the abandoned warehouses, he propped himself against a wall in the far corner in shadows, slinking down against the wall and resting his head back. Sleep overtook him and he dreamt of Angela.

_"Jack? Jack, wake up," she whispered, shaking his shoulder._

_His eyes fluttered open from a deep sleep to look up and see Angela hovering over him, her young face scrunched in concern. Jack shot up in his bed, the blanket falling forward to reveal his light blue boxers, his own face scrunching in concern for her. "What is it? Are you okay?" he whispered back, looking to the door and then to her, reaching to his the bedside table for his gun._

_She rested her hand on his and shook his head. "I'm okay I just…" she said, biting her bottom lip._

_He raised his brows expectantly, afraid to move and have her pull away. Her hand on his sent his heart racing. "Ange?"_

_"I...had a bad dream, and I couldn't sleep," she said, blushing. The moonlight that filtered through his room illuminated her blush and created a halo behind her head. His beautiful angel needed him._

_Jack's lips curved into a grin as he shuffled backwards in the bed, lifting the blanket for her as she climbed in beside him. She wore only a tank top and a pair of shorts, her hair that was usually pulled back into a ponytail cascaded down her shoulders and rested against the pillow. Angela's azure eyes bore into his own royal blues. "Thank you," she muttered, offering him a small smile._

_He smiled back at her and nodded, flipping onto his back to put one arm behind his pillow under his head and close his eyes to resume sleep. Although he wanted to ravage her, thought about it nightly, now that she was actually here he knew he couldn't do that, not unless she prompted him to do so. There was a slight movement in the bed as she shuffled closer to him, lifting his arm closest to her so she could sidle in against his side, resting her head on his chest. Jack's heart beat rapidly in his chest at the movement, his hand hovering over her waist before finally resting down on her shirt._

_"Your heartbeat is irregular," she noted quietly, resting her hand on his chest. "I did not think you had arrhythmia. Are you feeling alright?"_

_He nodded, although he wanted to tell her he wasn't and she should do a full body examination, maybe diagnose the tightening in his shorts. But now was neither the time nor place. "Goodnight, Angela," he muttered._

_He awoke sometime in the night to find that Angela had rolled practically on top of him, one leg draped over his, her breasts pressing into his chest, and her face was right next to his. They were only a hand's length apart. Those kissable lips were so close to his, her breathing was even and steady, and a small smile spread across those lips and he found himself smiling. What was she dreaming about? Was she dreaming of him? This was the first time she'd come to his room in the middle of the night, and although it wasn't what he had particularly dreamt about, he'd rather have this than nothing at all. She was so beautiful, so perfect, everything he had ever wanted in a woman was in this young one that was nestled in his arms. He loved her, with every fibre of his being and he would die for her. He would kill for her. He would give up the entire Overwatch life if it was what she wanted, if she only asked him._

_Her lips opened, a slender brow raising as she smiled again. "Why do you stare at me while I sleep?" she asked, opening one eye lazily._

_He grinned and pat her side gently with his hand. "You were snoring," he whispered, looking down at those lips._

_"I do not snore," she muttered, letting out a soft sigh._

_The sound only caused Jack's arousal to grow, imagining that sound was caused by something else other than sleep. "Angela," he said quietly, earning her attention fully as her eyes fluttered open. In that moment, he saw the truth in her eyes, the real reason she had climbed into his bed in the middle of the night and cuddled against him. The reason her leg was thrown over his and why her face was so close to his; he knew. It was the same reason he let her into the bed in the first place. He was going to tell her to return to her own bed so he could deal with his problem himself, but seeing the want in her eyes, the fire behind those bright blues only fueled him further. Tentatively, not wanting to scare her off, he used his free hand to push some hair from her face, caressing her soft cheek. She didn't move, her breath quickened, but her eyes never left his. Leaning forward slowly, his hand cupping her cheek tenderly, he pressed his lips against hers. They were soft and pliant under his own, moving against his as she sought to deepen the kiss, fisting his shirt in her hand._

_That was all the permission he needed before pulling her on top of him with the arm that was under her, her body went willingly as she kept her legs on either side of him and straddled him. Angela's hair fell around her shoulders as she looked down at him, hovering by his face and curtaining them off to the outside world. This was what she wanted, this was what he wanted, and it was all he could do to not soil her innocence right then and there. He was experienced, much more experienced than the young woman in his arms, being almost twice her age, but she was eager and willing as she wiggled her bottom against his erection. A giggle escaped her as she pressed a kiss to his lips again, his hands moving from her waist to her bottom and squeezing gently, pushing her down to feel just how excited he was. She arched her chest into him when he did this, pulling away from his lips as a quiet groan slipped from her slightly open lips. He did it again and earned himself another groan, one escaping his own lips as he looked up at her, grins spreading across both their faces. "Angela," he whispered, reaching for the back of her neck to pull her down to his lips._

_One of her small hands rested on his cheek while the other fisted his shirt again, slowly grinding her hips against his. Torturously and teasingly slow. "Ja, Kommandant?" she whispered between kisses, giggling as he growled against her lips._

_He thrust upward and she cooed, kissing him again. "You call me that and I might not be able to control myself," he whispered between those kisses, his hand going to the back of her scalp and pulling her hair lightly._

_"Perhaps that is what the doctor orders, Kommandant," she joked, grinning as she trailed those kisses down his cheek, over his chin and to his neck. As she trailed down his chest, she stopped at a particular scar and frowned, kissing the marred flesh gently._

_He pulled her chin up to kiss her lips once more. "I love you," he whispered, holding her gaze with his. She froze as she hovered over him, her brows raising in surprise. "I don't expect you to say it back, I don't expect you to feel it back. But I won't force you to do anything, and I don't expect anything from you. I-"_

_He was silenced by her lips pressing against his. "I was going to say the same thing to you," she whispered, pressing against his lips again, a tender pressure that said everything she couldn't. "Now, Kommandant, what are your orders?"_

_Jack's lips curved into a grin as he looked up at her, one hand tangled in her hand and the other trailing down her waist to her hip and digging his thumb into her flesh. "You are to never leave this bed," he said, his tone firm._

_She giggled and lowered herself to kiss him again, her hips gyrating slowly over his erection. There was no fooling her, she was a doctor, and she knew what this meant. It would be her first time, but Lord, did she ever want it, and she wanted it to be with him and no one else. "Ja, Kommandant," she said between kisses, one hand trailing down his chest to lift under the hem of his shirt, ghosting her fingertips over his muscled chest._

_He growled once more and bit her lip, tightening his hold on her and rolling swiftly to catch her off guard, the young Swiss doctor beneath him with her legs spread. There was little hesitation as his lips found hers again, the passion overwhelming as his tongue licked her bottom lip to seek entrance. She obliged, opening her mouth for him and tangling her fingers in his blonde hair. For someone in his mid-thirties, he still had plenty of hair with no grays, and considering his lifestyle this was quite a surprise. Shifting his knees, he propped them under her thighs and hunched over her, his deft fingers sliding down her sides to pull her shirt up and over her head. He was amazed at how eager she was, the way her body moved against his as he kissed her neck down to her collarbone, the little gasps she let out when he kissed her breasts and gently bit her nipple. Those breasts, so milky white and smooth, supple but firm and pliant; just like her buttocks that he squeezed. Yes, she was everything he had ever wanted._

_Still kneeling and hunched over her, he bit her taut nipple and massaged the other breast with his hand, glancing up at her and smiling; her head was thrown back in pleasure, little ringlets of her hair sticking to her face from the heat that built within them, the blanket still around them. He switched sides, his tongue dancing around the other nipple while his hand massaged the other breast. Simultaneously, he bit and tweaked her nipples, eliciting a soft gasp from her as she pushed her chest into his mouth, her hips grinding against his in that moment. He let out a soft moan at the pressure against his loins and he swore he could feel her wetness through their shorts, she was just as turned on as he was. Continuing to distract her with her breasts, he trailed a hand over her bare abdomen and slid it over her shorts, running two fingers over her eager and wanting sex. She gasped as he pushed against the shorts, finding just where she was wet and prodding ever so slightly, so teasingly. "Jack," she moaned, a shiver running over his body at her voice._

_"Mmm?" he asked, his mouth still full of her nipple._

_"Please," she let out a ragged breath, running a hand through his blonde hair to get his attention._

_He released her nipple with a quiet pop, looking up at her with a mischievous grin as he tweaked her nipple again, prodding into her once more. She ground against his hand and lifted her hips, her eyes closing as another small groan escaped her. "Please what?" he asked, kissing back up her chest and to her neck, nibbling gently along the way._

_"I need you inside me," she replied unabashedly, and he was taken aback by her boldness. There was no getting around it, she wanted what she wanted._

_Jack groaned at her words, leaning back to pull her shorts off of her, her ankles resting on his shoulder for a moment. As she lowered her legs back down around him, bare to him, he couldn't help but stare; she was immaculate, better than he had dreamed and he was going to have her. All his. She blushed and covered her breasts, narrowing her knees as he stared at her. He shook his head and smiled, prying her knees back open and moving her hands from her chest. "You're beautiful," he whispered, shimmying out of his shorts and pressing his hardness against her. She gasped, reaching between her legs to feel his size, her face twisting in concern. "I'll be gentle, I promise. Angela, I love you."_

_"Ich liebe dich," she whispered, moving her hands to wrap around his neck and pull him into a kiss once more. He pushed slowly, stopping as her body adjusted to him. Wait, was she a virgin? Too late now, he was already in way too deep to back out now...pun intended. She hissed at the pain as he inched further, his features twisting in concern as he kissed her cheek until she nodded that she was ready to continue. He bottomed out, tapping so deep inside her that she gasped and dug her nails into his back._

_"This one will hurt," he whispered, waiting for her permission. She let out a heavy breath and closed her eyes, biting her bottom lip as she nodded. She was a doctor, she knew exactly what she was getting into, but feeling it for herself first time was nothing compared to what she had read or heard from others. He pulled out of her slowly, her breath coming in ragged gasps from the small surge of pleasure that coursed through her, and then she braced herself. He pushed into her, hard, and she cried out from the pain, his lips immediately going to hers and peppering her face with kisses. Her hymen had broken, he could tell right away, and he cursed himself for not preparing her better. For not preparing her at all, but he hadn't known. He had been too consumed by his selfishness and raw lust for her. "I'm so sorry." He continued to pepper her face with kisses until her breathing returned to normal and she nodded again, turning her head to catch his lips. He pulled out of her slowly until just the tip was left in, then pushed back in just as slow until their hips met once again and she let out a breathy gasp._

_He pulled out slowly again, and with a little more force he thrust into her, her walls clenching around him and he stopped to feel and appreciate just how tight she was. Jack had never taken someone's virginity before, had never felt this kind of pleasure, but he had been in love before. And he knew this was just as real as that had been. Reaching under her scalp to hold her head, his other arm wrapping under her shoulders, he embraced her as he thrust into her again. And again. And again. Each time hitting deep inside her that she gasped and moaned, her nails digging into his back but he didn't mind; they would just be more battle scars._

_There was no more pain for Angela, only pleasure as he picked up the pace, confident that she was enjoying herself, and her moans got louder as he continued to hit that deliciously deep sweet spot. Her walls tightened and fluttered around him as her pleasure mounted, her climax on the verge of bursting forth, and she knew from all her readings that she was going to orgasm. But this compared like nothing she had ever experienced, her own fingers rubbing her clit couldn't give her this kind of orgasm, and no one had ever penetrated her before. "Jack…" she breathed out, her breathing quickened as his pace did and he himself found that he wouldn't be able to last much longer._

_"I know," he breathed out in reply, pressing his lips to hers as he thrust into her hard and deep. His lips stifled her orgasmic moan, her nails digging into his back and drawing blood from the sheer pleasure that rippled through her. He pulled away from her lips as her moan died away, but he continued to thrust, his pace increasing as he drilled into her. "Ange, I'm not going to be able to last."_

_"It's...okay…," she breathed, her voice hitching and increasing in pitch as another orgasm began to build inside her. "Jack, I trust you." Her blue eyes bore into his and he knew he was done, thrusting hard into her once more as she orgasmed and then pulling out of her swiftly as his own orgasm swept over him and he spilled onto her hips and belly, coating her in his sticky white load. She breathed heavily as the rush died away from her, her lids half closed as she looked up in Jack's eyes. "I love you."_

Soldier 76's eyes snapped open at the sound of someone approaching, his pants tight around his body and he swore silently. Fucking dreams, he cursed to himself, reaching for his rifle and peering around a crate. It was dim in the warehouse but he could have sworn he heard a British accent alongside a gruff Swedish accent. They were looking for someone. Standing to his feet and rounded the corner, he approached the duo and grinned behind his mask, recognizing the two but they didn't recognize him.

"You 'dere, what's yer name?" the little bearded man demanded, holding a gun towards him.

"Soldier 76. Are you Overwatch?" he asked, seeing the emblem on both their jackets. They looked to each other and back to the man in front of them, nodding slowly. "I have information for you, take me to-" He stopped, his breath hitching in his throat.

From a door behind them stepped the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen, her angelic garb no longer blue like the old days and she wasn't as young as she had been. Instead her valkyrie suit was white and orange with black trim, a halo around her head and her caduceus staff was different. Everything about her had changed, but she still looked like his beloved Angela. "Greetings," she said, her accent still as thick as he remembered. "I am the doctor, do you need any healing?" She smiled at him and pointed her caduceus staff towards him, ready to press the button.

"No, I got my own," he said, his heart racing inside his chest. She didn't recognize him, would she even remember him?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm also taking requests! So msg me or email jennam909 at gmail ^^


	2. Escorting Doomfist

"No, I got my own," he said, his heart racing inside his chest. She didn't recognize him, would she even remember him? Of course not, he had a mask on and the Jack she knew was dead. She had probably moved on.

"Come on, loves, no time to dilly dally," the short haired brunette said, clapping her hands together and waving the group along. In a blink she was ten yards ahead of them, waving again and giggling.

They left the warehouse, 76 pulling up the rear while Tracer took the lead. Even though he was certain he had taken out the gang members in the area, he knew there was always more and the area could quickly become a target rich environment. However, they arrived at the ship uninterrupted and the soldier was quickly introduced to the people on board (although he already knew them): Reinhardt, who gave him a beaming smile and nodded before clapping a big hand on his shoulder and welcoming him; Winston, who sat at the front and piloted the ship with Tracer; and Genji, who only rose from his seat when Mercy stepped aboard the ship. A simple nod from her and he sat, watching her intently as she moved to take the seat next to him and strapped herself in with the harness.

76 narrowed his eyes beneath his visor, choosing the seat across from her between Reinhardt and Torbjorn. She wasn't his anymore, she could whatever she liked, but he was able to see their hands resting next to each other the seat, her pinky reaching for the cyborg's and he reaching for her in return. It was small, a simple gesture of something, but it was huge to him and he knew they were together. Whether everyone else knew or not, he knew in that little moment.

_"We can't keep meeting like this, Kommandant," Angela gasped, Jack's teeth trailing against her neck and leaving a small red line behind. She was sitting on the counter in her office with her secret boyfriend between her legs, pressing his hardness against her._

_He growled softly against her throat and smiled, one hand squeezing her upper thigh while the other tangled itself in her hair. "I just can't resist your allure, schön," he said, smiling wider as she let out a sigh of content at his praise, her own slender hands tangling in his blonde locks. His lips moved up from her neck to her lips, pushing hard enough that her head hit the cupboard behind her, the two giggling between kisses at the sound. She wasn't hurt, but it broke the mood a little. The thirty something year old pulled away from his eighteen year old girlfriend and smiled, resting a hand on her cheek and running his thumb over the smooth expanse of her skin. "I love you."_

Did they meet in secret the same way? Were his cold, metallic hands all over her body like his had been? She couldn't enjoy it, there was no way, he wasn't a man. He wasn't really even a machine. Did they proclaim the same feelings? He growled softly beneath the visor and clenched his hands together, resting his head back against the seat and closing his eyes.  _She's not yours anymore, you're dead_ , he thought to himself, wishing he had just stayed on the ground and traveled alone to the Overwatch headquarters in Gibraltar. Even though that was ridiculously far and almost impossible.

They landed within the hour, Soldier 76 had calmed his seething by then and paid no attention to the source of his anger, instead focusing on the task at hand. Overwatch. Everyone gathered in the mess hall for a meeting, to discuss who their new addition was and what was to be done with him, what information he had, and what they could do with that information. Everyone had gathered, the crew from the ship and a few others that 76 was unfamiliar with, including a pair of junkers that sat as far away from people as possible. The large one with a leather mask over his face rose suspicions from the ex-commander, but if these people trusted him then he would too, for now. There were others he had only met once before, the scientist from Antarctica, the Omnic spiritualist who sat by Genji, and Pharah, Ana Amari's daughter. And they were all staring at him. He was staring at Angela.

"Soldier, you have the floor," Winston said, sitting on one of the long tables and opening a jar of peanut butter with his foot.

"Winston, you're on a diet," Tracer said, smacking him lightly on the arm, giggling as she did so. Winston frowned and put the lid back on, adjusting the glasses on his face and nodding to 76, hoping it would distract Lena from noticing his peanut butter addiction.

He didn't know where to begin, he just wanted to grab Angela and steal her away. But that wasn't why he was there, duty first. From his pocket he pulled out a small USB key and held it out for Winston. "This is critical information about Talon's next moves," he said, silence filling the room. "There is precious cargo in Numbani they are trying to steal. Helix was hired to escort the payload from the museum to the UN Headquarters on the other side of the city, but this keys holds the information of that cargo and it's various stopping points for refueling. I cannot take on this mission alone, and Helix will not make it to the other side alive if Talon's head members attack."

"Why do we care what they got? Ain't like it's gonna help us any," the junker with the peg leg called from the back of the room, stretching his arms out and leaning back in his chair.

"Because the cargo is Doomfist," Soldier replied without missing a beat, a gasp escaping Mei and Mercy simultaneously, Reinhardt leaned forward in his chair, and Pharah remained motionless.

"How did you get this information?" Reinhardt said, standing from his chair and narrowing his gray eyes at the shorter man.

Narrowing his own eyes at the burly man, he didn't shrink away from his gaze. "Because I stole it," he replied simply, glancing to Angela from the corner of his eyes. Her hand had reached out to grab the table and the other reached for Mei, but there was no judgement in her eyes. She hardly judged anyone as it were. "Los Muertos had gotten their hands on some supplies in Dorado, one of Talon's outposts, and had no idea what they had. Now, are you with me, or do I have to do this alone?" 76's voice was a low growl, still holding the USB out for Winston.

They all looked to each other, then to Winston as he slowly reached for the USB. "Let us analyze the data before we make a decision," he said, climbing down from the table and looking back at the group. "We will meet back here in one hour. Mercy, could you make sure our newest guest has some food?"

"Ja," she said, rising from the table and the group dispersed. Save for 76 and Mercy, and Genji and Zenyatta who still remained seated at a table on the far end of the hall. "What do you like? I think we have dry rations in the cupboard-"

"Coffee," he grunted, following her into the kitchen and leaning against the counter as he watched her navigate through the room and gather the things needed for coffee. Water for the pot, flicking it on, ground coffee from the container into the machine.

_"You don't have to stare, you could help you know," she said, glancing over her shoulder at him. He was leaning against the counter with his arms crossed over his chest, a smirk on his lips as he watched her stir the noodles in the pot on the stove._

_"But I enjoy watching you more," he said, glancing out the open doorway of the kitchen before standing behind her and wrapping his arms around her. "And you know I wouldn't be any help anyways." Jack hovered his lips over her neck, ghosting his hands in separate directions to fondle her breast and pull her pelvis against his._

_"You are most certainly not helping now," she breathed out, not resisting his touch as he slipped beneath her spandex shorts and trailed over her wet core._

_"Really? Seems like you could use a hand here," he whispered, kissing her neck and pushing a finger into her, a heady sigh being forced from her rounded lips. His name slipped from those luscious lips as he slipped another finger into her, the pot forgotten as she gripped either side of the stove and succumbed to his touch. He could feel her walls clenching and holding his fingers in place as she moved her hips against his, her orgasm dwindling as quickly as it had come. "There, I helped."_

"How do you like your coffee?" she asked, reaching for a mug in the cupboard on her toes, giving him a marvelous view of her still perky bottom.

He blinked behind the mask and swallowed the lump in his throat. "Black," he replied, watching as she reached for another mug and set the two down beside each other.

"Where do you come from?" she asked, turning to lean against the opposite counter and face him. She was still in her Valkyrie suit, but the wings had been disassembled so she wore only the armor and black leggings. For a woman in her mid-thirties, she was still just as beautiful and athletic as her teenage years, the accent not as thick but still evident.

"Nowhere," he answered, casting his gaze to the coffee pot that was beginning to brew. The scent was euphoric, remembering simpler days when being in Overwatch was accepted, smiled upon, even cheered for; not like now where it was banned under the Petras Act.

"You can't be from nowhere," she said with a grin, shaking her head enough for her platinum blonde locks to swish minutely. "Everyone is from somewhere."

Typical Angie, always providing the silver lining. "Where are you from?" he asked, although he already knew the answer.

"Switzerland," she said, pronouncing the country as if she spoke no English, the perfect accent. God, did he love that accent. "How did you know we would be in Dorado?" The grin was gone, and so was the friendly demeanor. She didn't trust him, there was something about him she couldn't quite pin and she always followed her gut feelings.

"I didn't," he replied just as smoothly, looking up from the pot to her. His brow furrowed beneath the visor and he felt his heart beat faster. Why was she looking at him like that? Was she suspicious of him?

"What were you doing there?" she asked, not missing a beat in the conversation.

"Is this an interrogation?" he countered, tapping his toes inside his boot.

"Merely a conversation," she said, turning away from him to pour the brewed coffee into the mugs and hand one to him, reaching into the cupboard to pull out some sugar cubes. He held the cup in his hand and frowned, realizing now he would have to take off the visor to drink it. She turned back and looked at him, raising a slender brow. "You can remove the mask. You are among friends here."

_Am I?_  he questioned himself, setting the coffee on the counter. "Thanks for the coffee," he said and walked out, leaving a confused Mercy in the kitchen. As he walked out, he saw Genji from the corner of his eye watch him leave, and then rise from the table to head to the kitchen.

"Is everything alright?" he asked as he stepped through the kitchen threshold, looking back over his shoulder as he saw she was still staring after their newest companion.

She blinked hard and looked at Genji, offering him a soft smile. "Ja, I think so," she said, reaching a hand out for him and holding the coffee in her other hand. He lifted his hand for Mercy's and held it in his own, smiling beneath his helmet. "You like coffee. Have his, we mustn't let it go to waste."

An hour later saw the members of the recalled Overwatch back in the mess hall with Soldier 76 leaning against a table to the side, arms crossed over his chest, while Winston stood in front of the other seated members. "After studying the data and analyzing its features, I have concluded that this information is legitimate and we should help our new friend with this mission," he said, looking over at the soldier. "The payload leaves the museum in forty-eight hours, Talon plans to intercept three hours after. Which means we have one day to pack and prepare. Lena, how soon can you have the ship up and running?"

"In a jiffy, big guy," Tracer replied, bolting to her feet and saluting, puffing her chest out and trying to hold back a giggle.

Winston nodded. "I think it would be beneficial for Reinhardt and I to go, his shield will protect us from any missiles Talon might use. Soldier, this is your mission so obviously you are coming. And Mercy," he said, looking to her and nodding, "will you aid us and provide us with your healing?"

Mercy stood and planted her hands firmly on the table. "It is my duty to heal and protect," she said, nodding to Winston and Reinhardt.

"We will come, too," Genji said, stepping forward with Zenyatta in tow. The two were almost inseparable.

"I have yet to see this treasure that is at risk," Zenyatta nodded in agreement, turning to Mercy. "And I believe I can be a valuable asset to your team."

Angela nodded and grinned, looking back to Winston. "Then it is decided, us six will go," she said.

_"I'm nervous," she whispered, leaning against his arm so they wouldn't be overheard. It was her first mission, about a year after she had arrived, and about four months after they'd confessed their feelings for each other. It was moving quickly, but when your life was always on the line, you found someone to keep you grounded._

_He looked over at her and nodded, patting her gently on the knee. "You'll be okay, just stay within sight," he said, glancing back at her wings. It was well known that she could boost herself towards someone if she or they were in a tight corner, multiple training simulators had been gone through for the young woman so that she could adapt to the missions. But actually being on one terrified the hell out of her, he could plainly see that._

_"All right, listen up," Gabriel said, standing to grab one of the handles that was bolted to the wall so he could see everyone. He was in charge, Commander Reyes, along with Jack but he lead the team. "You were already debriefed before we left but here's a reminder: terrorists have taken the Ilios lighthouse and are terrorizing the residents. There's been a citywide evacuation so we can go in there, guns blazing. Make sure your comms are on and working, stick together, and shoot to kill. Comprender?"_

_Angela looked back to Jack and smiled, albeit weakly, swallowing the lump in her throat. "Jack, if something happens-"_

_"Angela, everything will be okay. This may be your first mission, but this isn't ours, I got you," Jack said, grinning before looking over at Gabriel, who was eyeing them. His face was unreadable, but the blonde man could tell there was jealousy and anger beneath those dark eyes. Jealousy that Angela had chosen him._

There were no nerves now as the crew climbed onto the Overwatch vessel with Tracer and Winston at the helm. She was ordered to stay with the ship until they returned or told otherwise, and despite her eagerness to get going, she nodded and pouted behind the wheel. 76 looked over at Mercy and Genji deep in conversation, their voices hushed so only they could hear each other over the roar of the engine, but the smile she was giving the cyborg made him cringe. What could they possible be talking about that made her giggle like that? He looked down and noticed their hands were intertwined this time, no shame behind it, no secrecy, just two people holding hands. Was it because she had saved him and he was trying to keep her calm? Surely she had gotten over her nerves by now? It had been over fifteen years since her first mission, so why were they holding hands? She's not yours anymore, don't become Gabriel, he told himself, leaning his head back against the seat again. But he couldn't help the jealousy bubbling in the pit of his stomach.

They landed just outside the Numbani city limits and unloaded their gear, Genji and Zenyatta donning jackets to hide their mechanical natures while Mercy did the same to keep her fair skin from the harsh sun. Before they entered the city, Winston lifted his wrist to check his watch. "Communications open?"

"Check," Reinhardt said, tapping the earpiece into his ear.

"Time synced?"

"Check," Mercy said, pressing a button on her watch and nodding.

"Let's go kick some ass," 76 said, hoisting his pulse rifle onto his shoulder.

"I believe we should refrain from showing our violence until it is needed," Zenyatta said, holding his mechanical hand out towards the soldier to stop him. "The people of Numbani are peaceful, showing your weapon would instigate an altercation in which we are not here to participate."

"The metal man is right," Reinhardt said, sliding his giant hammer onto his back. "There will be time for fighting, put your gun away. I will be your shield."

Soldier 76 grunted and nodded, flicking the safety on and putting his own rifle across his back. They walked the streets in silence, it wasn't particularly busy today with the sun as hot as it was, most people having sought refuge indoors already or on their way to do so. They were unhindered in their travels when they reached the museum, the truck that carried the item hovered by the side door and a few Helix guards stood nearby. Dispersing to various points, the group stayed hidden as the payload began it's trek through the city, the few people out making way for the recognizable armor the guards wore and the obviously expensive thing being transported.

They kept their eyes open for anything and everything, especially 76, who opted for running across the platforms that connected the buildings to each other with a silent Zenyatta in tow. Mercy followed Winston and Reinhardt along the lower levels while Genji scaled the walls and leaped ahead, signalling when it was safe to move forward. Everything seemed to be going well, nothing happened for awhile and they were perhaps halfway across the city when Winston signaled them all to stop. "It's too quiet," he said into the communicator in his ear, looking back at Mercy then to 76 and Zenyatta on the upper platform. None of them saw the wisp of smoke disappear from one of the other upper levels and around a corner.


	3. Have Mercy

"It's too quiet," Winston said into the communicator in his ear, looking back at Mercy then to 76 and Zenyatta on the upper platform. None of them saw the wisp of smoke disappear from one of the other upper levels and around a corner.

They continued their trek through the streets of Numbani in silence, each looking along the roofs and alleyways of the city. 76 pulled his rifle off his back, a feeling of unease spreading through his bones as he readied the helix rockets. There was movement on a rooftop and he froze, narrowing his eyes to try and see better against the sun glaring off the windows like a mirror, but whatever it was had gone and there was no more movement. He grunted as he continued to travel, keeping his eyes on the rooftop.

There was no time to think as a gunshot rang out and the bullet shot past his head to embed itself in Zenyatta's torso, knocking the omnic monk back against the concrete wall. Chaos ensued. Mercy spun at the sound to see Zenyatta fall, her and Genji running for their fallen friend while Soldier 76 and Winston went in search of the shooter. Reinhardt ran as fast as his giant legs could carry him towards the fallen omnic, holding up his shield while Mercy did her best to heal him. The nanobots in her caduceus staff did better work on a biological body rather than a mechanical, but she was at least able to take the bullet out of his chest. She held it up in the light to Reinhardt who glanced behind. ".308," he said, looking back up to the rooftops. "They're here."

In the same moment, assailants dressed in black emerged from the buildings brandishing firearms of every make and model, charging the members of Overwatch and the transport. Mercy jumped up from her kneeling position next to Zenyatta and pointed her staff at 76, nodding to him. "I've got you," she said, pulling her pistol out with the other hand as she stood behind Reinhardt. They streamed out in a horde, perhaps fifty or more Talon agents that had not been included on the USB ran towards them. They must have figured out it was stolen and ordered more agents on the task, waiting to spring their ambush. 76 nodded back to Mercy and surged forward, shooting his helix rockets at a few before leaping into the air and firing his rifle.

Winston pulled out his tesla cannon and began to electrocute whoever was nearby, the static clinging to the assailants and shocking them, bringing them to their knees with cries of pain. He roared as he leaped forward over a group that had gathered around them, throwing down a barrier shield that deflected the bullets, but didn't keep them out of the area itself. He hadn't quite figured that part out yet.

Reinhardt dissolved his shield and began to swing his mighty hammer, knocking back the unlucky and flinging them against the wall. The crew wrecked havoc on the Talon operatives that were unlucky enough to get in the way, especially his hammer, many fumbling over others to get out of the way.

Genji stood in front of Angela and deflected bullets with his blade, flicking his wrist as shurikens came flying from slots in his armored hand, embedding themselves in eye sockets, foreheads, necks, and chests. He continued to fling them, and when one got too close, he'd bolt forward to slice them in half, returning to guard Mercy.

She, too, acted quickly, her staff directed at her companions to heal them, flying to Winston's side to heal him as she noted the barrier was up. Following him as he leapt into the air back towards their crew, she stood behind Reinhardt as he smashed his way through the terrorists. The blonde turned back for Genji when she was cut off by three men, guns raised at her head. She frowned, using her staff to butt one in the fact, using the other end to smash the other in the head, and pointing her pistol at the other to shoot him in the leg. She was never one to kill.

_The sound of gunfire echoed in the range from Jack's pistol as he hit his mark every time, the perfect marksman. "Come on, you try," he said once he had used all the rounds, ejecting the magazine to place it on the table next to the empty gun, moving aside so Angela could step in and have a try._

_"No, I will just stick to what I know and that is medicine," she said, crossing her arms over her chest as she looked at the pistol on the table._

_"How are you going to learn if you don't try?" he asked her, holding his hand out for her. "Come on, if not for you at least for me? I'd like you to at least try." Jack smiled and waited for her._

_She let out a heavy sigh and rolled her eyes, stepping past his hand and standing before the table. "Okay, first-" he said, but was interrupted as she began to load the magazine with ease, snapping it into the pistol and pulling back the slide to force a round into the chamber. "Well, let's move onto step...three?"_

_Angela giggled, tilting the firearm in her hand down the range. "I learn fast, I did that merely from watching you. But you'll have to teach me the rest," she said, nodding matter of factly._

_Jack grinned and stood behind her, pressing his chest against her back and lifting her arms, his hands wrapping around hers over the grip. "Squeeze the trigger, don't pull," he said, resting his chin on her shoulder so he could see past her. He could smell her hair, that beautiful scent of cleanliness and a slight hint of strawberries. He was momentarily distracted as he closed his eyes, just enjoying their moment together, her warmth within his embrace._

_The sound of gunfire had his eyes snapping open, surprised that she had continued without waiting. Although it had completely missed the target and embedded itself into the back wall behind the paper. He chuckled in her ear. "Again, you still have five more rounds to go," he said, trailing his hands from the gun up her arms to her shoulders and down her waist, over her abdomen and enveloping her._

_"I can't do it when you're distracting me," she said, firing another shot and missing the target once more._

_"There will always be distractions when you have a gun in your hand," he said, trailing one hand down her waist and over her hip, wrapping around to the front and cupping her between the legs._

_"You are such a dog, don't you think about anything other than sex?" she asked, closing her eyes and her composure faltered._

_"I only think about sex around you," he said with a chuckle. "And seeing you with a gun turns me on. Plus, it's a good test to see how you focus."_

_Angela pushed her buttocks back against his groin, earning herself a small groan from Jack. But it was enough to distract him so that she could fire a shot, the bullet piercing the target right through the head. She looked over her shoulder and grinned at him. "I'm the one that does the distracting," she said and winked._

76 watched her in awe as she kept everyone alive and herself, shooting only when necessary and only to wound, using her staff to keep the flankers at bay. There was no hesitation in her movements, no stumbles or trips, just Mercy doing her duty and keeping the team going. She was essential and she knew it, but not in the cocky way that most medics would, she worked for them and they kept her alive, it was perfect synchronization. And she most certainly was distracting. Another gunshot from the rooftop had him craning his head to look up, seeing the reflection of the sun glint off the lens of a scope for only a moment, enough to tell him that whoever was up there was searching for a target in particular. One of them. "Winston, the roof!" he shouted, pointing upwards and began running towards the building across from where they were hiding.

Winston nodded and leapt up onto the rooftop with a mighty heave, landing on his knuckles as he came face to face with the Talon agent. She spun to face him and grinned, only her jaw visible beneath the visor that eerily resembled a spider. "Bonjour, ma cherie," she said, pulling something from her belt and throwing it at him, the gas bomb erupting at his feet and clinging to his fur, choking him as he gripped at his throat. It stung his eyes and his nose, the giant ape coughing as he stumbled towards the woman in an attempt to grab her, his arm swinging wildly at the air. She took a step away from him and launched a grappling hook from her wrist to the rooftop across the way, flying over with no effort and spinning on her toes to face him. With a tiny salute and a cocky smirk, she was gone.

But Soldier 76 was already climbing the stairs to the rooftop she was on, running with the strength and might that had been bestowed upon him by science. He never ran out of breath, he never tired, he would never relent for he was the best, the soldier, the apex predator. As he ascended the stairs and reached the top, his hand wrapped around the knob and pushed to no avail. It was locked. He cursed and rammed his shoulder into the door, but it still did not budge. Again, he tried, throwing all his weight into the door until it burst open and there she stood, with her gun pointed at his head. "Ah, ah," she chided, her eye peering through the scope mounted on her rifle. "We know who you are, Morrison." Her sultry French accent was thick and would almost be considered beautiful, if it weren't for the venom behind her words and tone.

He growled but didn't move. Why didn't she pull the trigger? Why didn't she kill him yet? "How do you know who I am?" he asked, fingers twitching over the grenade at his side.

She looked down at his twitching fingers and grinned. "We know everything about you, ma cherie," she said, lowering the gun from her eye, but only enough to see him. "You have something we want. Something he wants."

What was she talking about? He didn't have anything...the USB? 76 growled again and took a step towards her. "I wouldn't do that if I were you," a husky voice said behind him. He turned his head to glance out of the corner of his visor, a man swathed in black cloth stood there, two large pistols aimed at the soldier's head. Smoke swirled around the man's body, encasing his lower half in the inky blackness and his face hidden behind a white mask that resembled a skull. "I thought you were dead." There was familiarity behind his tone.

"Aren't I?" 76 countered, eyeing the familiar man up and down. His voice was dripping with malice and rage as he clenched his fist to keep from doing anything stupid, there would not be a happy ending on his part if he were to act too hastily.

The man clothed in black chuckled, a deep, raspy chuckle that sounded like evil incarnate. "Death has come for you, Jack," he said, pulling the hammer back on his pistols as he readied to fire.

" _Ryujin no ken wo kurae_!" a shout interrupted them, the trio turning as Genji vaulted himself over the side of the roof, his blade glowing green as he shot forward and sliced the sniper across the stomach. She cried in pain and stumbled back, the barrel of her rifle facing the ground as she clutched her stomach. The cyborg doubled back, zipping by her and slicing his blade across her arm this time, another yelp of pain echoed off the rooftops.

The distraction was enough for 76 to handle the man, using his rifle to knock the pistols from his hand and shoot his helix rockets at him. They went through smoke as he dissolved and rematerialized a few feet away, a new set of pistols in his hand which he quickly fired at the soldier and laughed as he did so. They shot through his body and he grunted with each bullet, falling to his knees as the blood poured from his wounds and onto the roof; he didn't have the strength or energy to pull his biotic field out. Black, booted feet stepped towards him, crunching against the gravel as they stopped before the kneeling soldier, kicking the discarded rifle away and laughing that evil laugh once more. In the distance, between the ringing and roaring of his ears, he could vaguely make out the sounds of Genji and Widowmaker in battle, her gun being switched to automatic and firing rapidly while the cyborg ninja deflected them with his sword.

There was a tug on his white hair and his head was pulled back to look up at the kneeling Reaper, his red eyes glowing behind the mask as he chuckled that same horrid chuckle. "Death will be swifter for you than it will be for her," he said, putting the barrel of his pistol against 76's head. Her? Who her? Surely not Angela.

" _Ich bin da_!" her familiar voice called out. Mercy flew over the side and landed on the rooftop with her golden wings extended, her caduceus staff in one hand and her pistol in the other, the epitome of an angelic warrior. The blonde medic took only a moment to take in the sight before her, gauging that Soldier 76 needed her first, aiming her pistol at his assailant and firing without hesitation. They, too, went through inky black smoke as he retreated, his captive falling forward to the ground as his arms buckled under him. The shadowed man ran towards Widowmaker and grabbed her, a grappling hook could be seen attaching itself to a ledge as the duo swung down towards the street.

The edges of 76's vision began to grow black, a tunnel of light funneled through his visor as he saw Mercy run over to him. His beloved Mercy. His saving grace. Suddenly, amidst the blackness, a warmth spread through him and pushed back the cold; a fire built in his body he had only experienced once before in his life, an experience that could only be described as breathtakingly enlightening. Mercy's ability to heal those on the brink of the death and essentially resurrect them. Light filtered through his visor and he could see the sun again - no, that was no sun, that was Mercy's halo glowing, her whole body was glowing. He could see clearly now, his body renewed and reinvigorated by her rejuvenating powers as she knelt beside him and pressed her hand to his heart. "Heroes never die," she said, her staff was glowing and he looked down to see that he too was glowing, a vibrant and blinding gold.

76 clambered to his feet with the help of Mercy, her hands under his arm to steady him. Genji rushed over to them and nodded to 76, turning to Angela. "Are you alright?" he asked, earning a nod in reply. The Overwatch trio raced to the edge of the roof to look down as the sound of battle still echoed below, Mercy glancing over to see Reinhardt with Winston by the hovering truck. They were surrounded by more Talon agents, the Helix guards lay scattered around them unmoving. Dead. "We have to get back," she said, grabbing 76 by the sleeve and tugging towards the edge of the roof.

There was gravelly laughter behind them and they all turned to face the sound. "Reaper," 76 warned with a snarl, lifting his rifle to shoot. But it only went through smoke as he made his way towards Mercy. "Run!" Soldier shot his helix rockets at the smoke but they went through nothing, launching themselves into the building across the way and exploding on impact, the windows shattering and screams could be heard from within.

Reaper grabbed hold of Angela, wrapping his arms around her and walking backwards to the edge of the building. "You never learn, boy scout," he said, leaping from the rooftop towards the ground, a grappling hook helping their descent to land on the ground. Time seemed to slow as 76 and Genji reached for her outstretched hand, the soldier falling to his stomach at the edge of the roof and Genji stumbled to the edge. Her mouth was open in a silent scream, her blue eyes wide in shock as she plummeted downwards, her gaze flickering between the two of them in a silent plea for help.

Reaper landed on the street by Widowmaker, who quickly broke the glass on one of her bombs and covered Mercy's mouth with her bloodied hand, sufficiently knocking the medic out. Genji shambled down the side of the building to land on the street in a roll and took off after them, only to skid to a stop as the three vanished into thin air. The cyborg looked around in distress, clenching his hands as his breathing increased, a familiar rage he had not felt in some time welled within him as he spun back to face 76 still on the roof. "You are the cause of this!" he shouted up at him, dropping to his knees in defeat as he fell forward onto his hands, his blade clattering against the deserted street. 76 raced down the stairs back to the street level, skidding to a stop to stare at the hopeless Genji, his heart breaking at the thought of losing Angela for reasons other than his own faked death. This was his fault, she was gone because of him. He did this.

He turned as he heard Winston let out a feral roar, leaping into the air and landing on the back of one of the terrorists, swiping at his side to smash three against the wall. He bristled with primal energy, a rage that had never been witnessed before coursed through him as he rampaged through the street and around the payload, knocking everyone back with his mighty fists. As the numbers dwindled, so too did his rage as he became the intellectual gorilla everyone knew and loved.

Reinhardt smashed his hammer down on the ground, shaking the earth beneath them as it sent the remaining few men to their knees, knocking them over so he could finish them off. And despite the raucous the echoed off the street, 76 didn't notice it, he could only think of the look of horror on Angela's face as she plummeted. He was sick to his stomach; he couldn't help her, he hadn't saved her. And he had no idea where she was taken. Zenyatta rounded the corner sitting on the hovering truck as the sounds of battle died down, a hand clutched to his dented chest as he took in the motionless man. "Where is my pupil? And our healer?" he asked.

76 was silent for a moment as the present returned to him, trying not to focus on Mercy's hand over his heart as she revived him. What had he done? He swallowed the lump in his throat and craned his head to look at the kneeling Genji, and back to Zenyatta. There were no need for words, it seemed, for the omnic nodded and bowed his head in respect.

"What a fight!" Reinhardt said, rounding the corner and leaning against the hovering truck. "Where is Mercy?" He looked around and saw Genji kneeling with his back to them a few yards away, while 76 said nothing and only looked at him. "Where is she?!" There was anger in the old man's voice as he took a threatening step towards the soldier. Did he do this?

"Taken," 76 managed to say, looking back at Genji. "By Talon's head operatives, Reaper and Widowmaker."

"The ones on the USB," Winston noted, adjusting the glasses on his nose. "It seems we have been defeated."

"No," the soldier growled, clenching his fist. "We will find her, and I will kill every last Talon agent until we do. Let's get this damn payload to the headquarters." He glanced back at Genji and frowned, her voice echoing in his head.

_"Jack, if something happens-"_

_"Angela, everything will be okay...I got you...I love you…"_

* * *

**A/N: non-con, be warned**

The harsh pounding in her head was the first thing she felt, then the bindings on her wrists, then the chair beneath her. Mercy let out a groan as she lifted her head slightly and winced, the light from the ceiling blinding her as she regained her vision and looked around.

"Good, you're awake carino," a raspy voice said from behind her. Craning her head to see who was there, she was met with the inky black smoke that had kidnapped her. That term of endearment didn't suit the visage of death that walked around to stand in front of her, the man kneeling down to eye level and resting a gloved hand on her knee. "I hope we weren't too rough."

Mercy scoffed, cringing at the pain that shot through her head at the motion.

Reaper chuckled and patted her gently. "The pain will pass. Widow's gas bombs can be quite...intoxicating," he said, rising from his kneeling position to stand back. "Now, what do you know about Jack Morrison?"

She looked up at him and twisted her features in confusion, shaking her head. "He's dead," she replied, looking down at her feet, the painful memory of her past lover still aching her heart. She had never truly mourned him, pushing down the emotions was easier than dealing with them.

"No, he is alive," the man replied, tapping his foot. "You know where he is, now tell me."

She looked back up at him, shaking her head and shrugging her shoulders. "I don't know what you're talking about. He's been dead for years," she spat him, tugging at the rope on her wrists.

Reaper pulled out a knife from his pocket and stepped in front of her, placing the blade against her throat and she stopped struggling. As she looked up at him, the red glow of his eyes piercing her brilliant blues, she opened her mouth in a gasp. "Gabriel?" she murmured, tears began to well in her eyes as she recognized the structure behind the mask.

He growled and pushed the blade deeper into her flesh. "Gabriel is dead. Did you mourn for him like you did your precious Jack? Or were you too busy finding a cock from some metal monstruo?" he spat, pushing his face closer to hers and pushing the blade upwards.

A thin line of blood appeared on her pale skin, a hiss escaped her at the burning sensation. " _Fick dich, schweinehund_ ," she spat, pushing against the blade and grunting in pain as it dug deeper into her neck. But she would not give him the satisfaction of succumbing to his threats.

He gave her another throaty chuckle, pulling the blade away and grabbing her by the throat, the claws on his glove digging into her to draw more blood. Pulling her face towards his, only an inch apart, she could see his eyes narrow behind the mask. "Watch your mouth, carino, I like it when you talk dirty," he said, his gaze drifting down her body and back to her face. "Maybe I should try a different approach." Still clutching her neck with one hand, he reached behind her and sliced the bindings on her wrists, pulling her from the chair so she was standing. In one swift motion, he cut the fabric away from her body, exposing her arms and thighs and tugged at the armor covering her chest, flinging it to the ground away from him. She was bare to him.

Mercy clutched at the hand around her throat in a panic, using her other hand to swat at anything she could, his chest, his face, successfully knocking the mask away. She gasped, the familiar face of Gabriel staring back at her, but it was not the same as she remembered; he was cold, distant, calculating, and scarred, his red eyes raking over her naked body as he licked his lips. "No, please," she whined, tears forming in the corner of her eyes as she felt herself being pushed backwards and pinned hard to the wall. Air escaped her as she struggled to breathe, the grip on her throat tightening as he stared at her, pressing his body against hers. She could feel something hard pressing into her hip, but wasn't sure if it was him or his gun. She prayed it was the latter.

"I like it when you beg," he said, angling her head away to bare her throat, his lips descending to her neck and trailing his teeth over her translucent skin. She shivered from the cold wall against her bare back, making her arch against him and further into the hardness against her hip. That was definitely not his pistol. "Why did you never choose me? He always got everything, the fame, the glory, the girl." He trailed his teeth up to her ear as he whispered for only her to hear, grabbing her hip as he pushed against her harder.

A tear escaped her as she squeezed her eyes shut, just praying for this to all be over. How could he do this to her? How could he let himself be this man? "This isn't you, Gabriel," she rasped out despite knowing the truth, trying to turn her head to look at him, her hand tightening around his wrist. But he wouldn't let her move, wouldn't give her the satisfaction of eye contact.

_"Angela, I love you, be with me instead," Gabriel said, reaching for her hand and pulling her against his chest._

_She resisted and pushed against him, but he didn't let her get far. "Why are you doing this?" she asked in a whisper, looking up at him with fear in her eyes. Jack was on a mission without her, gathering some intel on a freedom fighter in Brazil, and there was no one to save her._

_"Have me on the side, I don't care," he said, putting his arm around her and holding her tight against him. "I need you in my life, carino. You are everything to me, forget him." There was a desperate plea in his voice as he pressed his lips against her golden head, moving back to press his lips against hers in a bruising and possessive kiss._

_She was stiff against him, pushing against his chest but he didn't relent. When he pulled away, there was anger in his eyes, betrayal and dismay. "Gabe, please," she whispered, tears streaming from her face. "Don't do this."_

_He growled and released her, looking away from what he had done. Without a word, he turned and left, not caring that she fell to a sobbing mess on the infirmary floor._

"This is me, Angela," he growled, letting go of her hip to undo his belt buckle. "Now I'm going to show you what you missed out on." Reaper released the throbbing erection from his pants and pressed it between her legs, lifting one of her thighs to rest against his hip as he gyrated against her. He thrust upward and penetrated her unwilling body, hissing in pain while she cried out, tears falling freely down her face.

Distancing herself from this moment, she tried to focus on Genji, the man she loved. But her thoughts kept straying to 76, and she didn't know why. Maybe because he reminded her so much of Jack, the way he walked, the commanding presence that emanated around him, the way she caught him looking at her from time to time. Perhaps, to him, she looked like somebody from his past and he couldn't shake them. Maybe he stared like every other guy because she was beautiful (although she didn't really think so). Maybe because in the dark recesses of her mind she secretly hoped it was Jack, back from the dead. But she knew better, there was no way to save someone from that type of death. No matter how hard she had searched for him.

Mercy heard Reaper's grunt of pleasure as he neared his climax, tears still streaming down her face as she tried to remember a better time.

_The sun was shining warm on her face as the two sat on the rooftop of the Overwatch headquarters, watching the sunset as it glowed a brilliant red and orange. The stars were following quickly, illuminating the sky with their twinkles and a dusky purple covered the other half of the sky. "It's so beautiful," she breathed out, leaning against Jack's soldier._

_"Yeah," he whispered right into her ear. She looked up with a grin, seeing that he was looking at her. Talking about her._

_"Jack," she giggled, patting him gently on the chest._

_"Angela," he replied, grabbing her hand and planting a gentle kiss on the back. She could feel his heart beating rapidly in his chest, a slight blush spread across his face as he looked down at her. He was nervous, why was he nervous? "I've been meaning to ask for some time now, perhaps a few months…"_

_They had been together for perhaps a year, she had lost track of time with the missions and training and just being absorbed in him. She raised her brows expectantly at him, pushing away to better see his face. He paused and she smiled. "What?"_

_He swallowed the lump in his throat and reached into his back pocket, producing a little box and held it out to her. "Angela," he began, freezing when he saw her features._

_Her blue eyes were wide and round, looking down at the box and up to him, her smile widening as she waited for him to continue._

_It gave him some encouragement to keep going. "I love you, with all my heart. And, I know I'm older than you and you still have a great career ahead of you. I would never ask you to put me first, or to put your research aside, or to leave Overwatch. I only ask one thing," he said, pausing as he lifted the box lid to expose the beautiful diamond ring within. "Will you marry me?"_


	4. Finding Mercy

The ride back to Gibraltar was silent in the carrier as everyone mourned the loss of Mercy in their own way, but none were vocal about it, not when both Soldier 76 and Genji were on the verge of a violent rampage. They didn't understand why 76 was as distraught as Genji, at least the cyborg had a legitimate reason whereas 76 just seemed guilty. Whatever the reason, no one dared ask, a crackling energy emanated around him that was quick to silence anyone who thought about asking.

The rest of the crew was debriefed once they landed at the base, Winston explaining what had happened to a crying Mei and an angry Pharah. Discussion of what to do next was briefly touched upon, but emotions ran high and anything that was said was shot down by an angry companion, fights erupted and there was no progress. The giant gorilla determined that they reconvene immediately once everyone had calmed down, hopefully within the hour. Everyone retreated to their own rooms to plan and calculate, mourn and repress, cry and de-stress, whatever they needed.

76 wasn't granted a room yet so he stayed in the mess hall, elbows on the table and fingers intertwined as he planned and calculated. There would be no mourning for he was determined to get her back, if at least for Genji; she wasn't his anymore, but he wouldn't let anything happen to her regardless. If she truly loved Genji, he wanted her to be happy, with or without him. He had borrowed Tracer's portable music player in the hopes of distracting himself, but the song that came on after the one he listened to had his heart strings being pulled at in all different directions. A soft piano melody followed by the lyrics:

_Heart beats fast, colors and promises_

_How to be brave, how can I love when I'm afraid_

_To fall, watching you stand alone_

_All of my doubts, suddenly goes away somehow_

_One step closer_

This was Angela's favorite song…

_I have died everyday waiting for you_

_Darling don't be afraid I have loved you_

_For a thousand years_

_Love you for a thousand more_

_Time stands still, beauty and all she is_

_I will be brave, I will not let anything take away_

_What's standing in front of me, every breath_

_Every hour has come to this_

_One step closer_

His fingers clenched hard against the electronic in his hand and he squeezed his eyes shut, remembering the first time he'd heard the song, the first time he'd heard Angela sing it, a few months after she'd arrived.

_"I have died everyday waiting for you, darling don't be afraid I have loved you," she sang, swaying her upper body back and forth as she poured over her research, one headphone in her ear while the other was tucked into her cleavage beneath her shirt. Her voice was soft and melodic, pure and wholesome like the angel she was. Her eyes closed as she gave into the song, unaware that he had stepped into her office, her voice lifting with the song as it progressed with feeling, her own feelings coming forth as she sang. And he couldn't look away. "All along I believed I would find you, time has brought your heart to me I have loved you, for a thousand years. I love you for a thousand more."_

_Jack cleared his throat and she jumped out of her chair, the earbuds falling from her body as she bolted upright, her research binder and the book that was on it fell to the ground. Papers scattered everywhere and she blushed crimson, holding a slender hand to her chest. "Commander!" she exclaimed, panting heavily as she looked down at her papers. "I didn't know you were in here." She bent down to pick up the papers and was stopped by his hand, the blonde man gathering everything for her and rising with her, their eyes locked as he set the papers on the counter._

_"Sorry to startle you, Doc," he said with a grin, looking down at the display on the music player. A Thousand Years by Christina Perri. "That's a rather old song, isn't it?" Jack looked back up to her and she blushed harder, lowering her gaze and nodding slightly._

_"A classic," she muttered, reaching over to press pause. "Um, what can I do for you?" Angela tucked her blonde curls behind her ear, looking back up at him with a new calm in her features, the Doctor in place instead of the embarrassed girl who had been caught singing._

He opened his eyes and found himself humming along. In a fit of embarrassment, he looked up and around but found he was still alone. Good, at least no one would question him.

An hour later, the group reconvened to discuss the plan. A few were thrown out on a whim, but after they were shot down again by bitterness and anger, quiet settled over them as they tried to think of something new. Winston rubbed his nose where his glasses rested and sighed. "76, do you have any idea where they could have taken her? Any inkling at all?" he asked, looking up at the man who leaned against a table with his arms crossed over his chest.

He lowered his head in thought, his leg shaking as he tapped his booted heel against the ground. His head shook slowly as he came up with nothing, despair radiating from his shoulders.

"So we just leave her to die?" Genji interrupted, slamming his hands on the table as he rose from his seat, the chair grating against the floor as it pushed out behind him.

Zenyatta rested his hand on Genji's arm, looking up at him. "Peace, my pupil. Mercy will not die," he said, the even tone in his voice settled the cyborg as he sat back down, still fuming.

76 clenched his jaw, closing his eyes as he thought of Angela. Her beauty, her smile, her innocence, that look of horror as she fell to the ground in Reaper's arm as she was kidnapped. They said they knew him, they knew he was Jack Morrison, but how. Where would that intel be? Who would have given that to them? And why hadn't they killed him? Widowmaker said that he had something he wanted, but who was he and what did he want? They already had Angela. He had nothing else, and she wasn't even his anyways. This was all just too cryptic to decipher right now under the pressure of their beloved medic missing.

"What about Kings Row?" Tracer spoke up, shrinking under everyone's gaze as they looked to her. "When Mondatta was killed there was a helicopter that picked her up. But it was a small transport, can't go very far, meant for local trips. Deliveries and such."

No one said anything at the thought, but she could see some people nod their heads. 76 nodded slowly as well, furrowing his brow beneath the visor in thought; it was entirely plausible. He eliminated the outpost in Dorado and there were no more bases in Ilios, the only place he hadn't thought to look was the most obvious. "It's worth a look," he said, looking up to Winston and nodding.

The ape nodded and looked to Reinhardt, the two nodding in agreement. Everyone began to nod, and laughter broke out from the junker with the peg leg at the back. "Oy, y'all keep doing that your heads are gonna fall off," he said, his Australian accent thick as he slapped his good knee.

* * *

There was no getting out, no way of escaping, not without the help of her beloved family from Overwatch. Mercy hung her head, her arms shackled to the wall behind her, a broken hum coming from her as she remembered her favourite song. It was the only thing that kept her light shining in this dismal place, King's Row was dark and ugly, no light shone through the tiny window in the cell she was in, and nobody walked by. Not that she could tell anyways. And as far as she knew, she would die in here. If Reaper allowed. So far he had kept barging in when she was nodding off, scaring her awake or using her body for whatever he wanted. She continued to cry, but she no longer fought, there was no point, not when she was exhausted as she was. Just let him do what he wants and he'd be done faster and leave her alone sooner. Never before had she been treated like this and she didn't know what to do, the only thing she clung onto were the memories of a time when she was happy, warm, and loved. And, surprisingly, no memories of the man she loved now.

_A gentle hand ran through her hair, pushing the stray strands from her sleeping face. Her blue eyes fluttered open to look into the familiar ocean blues of Jack Morrison, a smile gracing both their faces as they looked at each other. "Good morning," he said in a hushed tone, his hand stopping it's path to rest on the back of her neck, his thumb caressing her cheek._

_"Good morning," she replied, the grin widening on her face. Her hand trailed down his shoulder where it was resting to stop on his side, her fingers skimming lightly under his shirt to ghost over his abdomen._

_His eyes closed and he breathed heavily, peeking an eye open and cocking his brow at her. "Does someone want a repeat of last night?" he asked, his own hand doing the same to her and trailing to her thigh to lift it over his hip._

_Angela giggled as she pressed herself against him, smirking. "Maybe," she replied, hovering her lips near his. "Does the Kommandant disapprove of my methods?" There was a twinkle of humor in her lust filled eyes._

_Jack chuckled and pressed his hips into hers, his hand on her buttocks pushing her into him so he could feel his hardness. "I wouldn't consider this disapproval," he said, pressing his head forward to kiss her._

_She moved away and giggled, but he didn't let that deter him as he instead pressed his lips to her neck, rolling with her until she was caged beneath him. "Disobeying your C.O., Doctor?" he whispered in her ear, biting her earlobe gently._

_"Am I to be punished, Kommandant?" she breathed heavily, her nails combing through his hair and down his back. "Have I been a bad girl?"_

_He shuddered at her words and he was instantly hard, resting his head in the crook of her neck. Who knew that the prim and proper Doctor Ziegler had a dark and dirty side to Her? "Ugh, what are you doing to me?" he groaned, grinding his pelvis against hers ardently._

_Angela giggled again and kissed his cheek, pressing her lips to his ear. "Ich liebe dich, Jack," she whispered, licking his lobe. "I want you inside me, deep inside. Make me scream your name, let me moan in your ear-"_

_She was silenced by his lips on hers, the pressure bruise worthy as he thrusted against her hard, his fingers resting on her throat before he pulled away from her lips for air. "Angie, you're a naughty girl," he whispered, winking._

_Her red and puffy lips widened with excitement as he played along, her head nodding minutely. "So very naughty," she said, running one hand up his arm while the other snaked down his boxer shorts and grabbed his appendage._

_He gave into her touch for only a moment, pulling away from her to lean back on his knees and flip her onto her stomach, the blanket falling to the floor to give them more room for play. Jack grabbed her hips and pulled her back so her butt was in the air, pushing on her shoulders so her face was still against the pillow. Angela squealed with delight which turned to a haughty moan as he slapped her on the bottom, her nether tingling with excitement at what was to come. Or rather who. Jack raised his brows at her moan, smacking her again with a little more force, earning another moan. He let one out too, surprised by it as he lifted from his kneeling position to press against her buttocks. She pushed against him, eager to feel what he had to offer._

"Someone seems excited," a voice said, breaking her from her memory. Mercy blinked her eyes open to see Reaper leaning against the doorframe, his arms crossed over his chest, and she could hear the grin in his voice. "Thinking of someone special?"

She said nothing and glared instead, narrowing her eyes as he stopped in front of her. "Tell me, Mercy, who were you dreaming of?" he asked, grabbing her chin with his gloved thumb and forefinger. She clenched her jaw and tried to pull away, but he wasn't having any of that, forcing her to look at him. "Answer me. Was it your darling cyborg? Your precious Commander?"

"Fuck you," she spat, locking her eyes to his.

He clucked his tongue and shook his head. "I've heard all this before, don't you have something new for me?" he asked, his other hand grabbing her hip and digging the clawed thumb into her exposed skin, blood dripping from the fresh wound.

She hissed and pulled out of his grasp, angling her head away from him. "What happened to you? How could you have changed so much?" she asked through clenched teeth, holding back the tears that threatened to flow.

"I haven't changed, you have," he said with a growl, stepping away from her. "And when you are rescued, everyone will see how much you have changed. When we complete the transition."

She looked up then with confusion plastered on her face. "Transition?" she whispered, fear clutching at her chest.

" _Oui, ma cherie_ ," came a feminine voice from the doorway behind Reaper. Mercy craned her head to see who it was, a slight grin on her face to see that the sniper was wrapped in bloodied gauze. "You will not be smiling for long. Do you not recognize me?" She stepped into the room, her heeled boots clicking against the stone floor, and there was a mesmerizing sway to her hips as she walked. Reaper stepped aside for her and leaned against the wall, his arms over his chest once more.

"Should I recognize you?"

"My late husband was Gerard Lacroix," she answered without missing a beat, the name rolling off her tongue like honey from a spoon.

Mercy's eyes widened in horror as she took in the purple hued woman before her. "Amelie," she whispered in disbelief, and the grin was gone. They were going to do the same to her, make her forget who she was and become a vicious killer.

Widowmaker scowled. "That is no longer my name," she said, pressing a nail against Mercy's pulse and dragging, her scowl twisting into a smirk as she hissed in response. "She will make a great addition to the team. We need a decent  _docteur_ on our side."

Now, Mercy was truly terrified.

* * *

With the team assembled and aboard the Orca, the mission to rescue Mercy was underway and the strategy to find Talon's base was being discussed. With Reinhardt in the lead, they would need Zenyatta in the back to make sure things didn't go awry with Genji, and 76 would attack any agents who decided to attack from the side. It wasn't the ideal strategy, but it was all they had. Winston decreed he would stay with Tracer at the ship until they returned, and only when they returned with Mercy would they leave. It went without saying that she would be aboard the ship that day, dead or alive. They wouldn't just leave her there.

Genji meditated on the seat next to his omnic master who did the same, 76 rested his head back against the seat, while Reinhardt adjusted the various pieces of armor on his body. There hadn't been time for Torbjorn to repair or adjust anything, so a few pieces of the metal were dented and sticking up in odd places. They touched down in King's Row by an abandoned bus on the street. Where was everyone? The streets were deserted, not even a piece of litter rolled by in the empty street. It was unnerving for the crew as they disembarked and began their trek through the city, eyes and ears open for anything and everything. It was too similar to Numbani, the silence, the empty streets, the inevitability of an ambush was looming on everyone's mind. But it did not deter them, not when their beloved medic's life was potentially on the line.

The silence was shattered as a murderously loud cry of pain echoed through the streets, the group looking to each other in horror. That was Mercy! They all took off in a sprint towards the source of the noise, 76 being the fastest with his genetically modified body, around a statue and through the main square.  _Please, don't let that be her_ , he thought to himself, although he knew better. Genji caught up to him and scaled the wall, bouncing into the open window to look ahead. "There!" he shouted down to the team, jumping to the ground and rolling to embrace the impact as they caught up to him. As they continued to run, catching up to where Genji had pointed, they stopped as another mind numbing scream echoed off the streets. This time it came from the other end of the road. They looked around in a panic, to each other, and back to the tunnel to the subway.

"Tracer, where does the subway end?" 76 asked into his earpiece, eyes locked on Genji who did the same.

A crackled answer came through. "Knight Lane, although I'd be...were you...heat signatures on the ra-...," and then it went silent.

"Tracer? Tracer?" 76 commanded, looking up to the team and shaking his head. "We're going in blind, boys."

They ran down the steps into the subway, squinting against the darkness. There were no lights, no shadows, nothing that could help them find their way. Luckily, 76 had a flashlight equipped on his rifle and so lead the way through the dark tunnel. They jumped off the platform and onto the rail, following down into its eternal darkness that swallowed everything around them. The flashlight shone off the walls as he kept his rifle raised, looking this way and that, stopping at every door they came across to test the knob, but all were locked. Nothing would get them without him hearing the locks unlatch. As they came to the end of the tunnel, a light filtering through and leading them in, they stopped at another platform and hopped up, climbing out of the tunnel to stand on Knight Lane. It, too, was deserted. One more horrible cry of agony bounced off the walls of the buildings around them and 76 felt sick to his stomach, that was definitely Angela.

Zenyatta stuck his hand out in front of Genji just as he was about to bolt towards the source of the noise, stopping him from going too far. "Patience, my pupil. Now is not the time for rash actions," he said, looking over to 76 as if to say the same thing to him.

They walked the streets with caution, looking up at the closed windows for an ambush, but none came. The tension was rising and 76 felt like he was going to explode if something didn't happen, if nothing happened, something had to happen! He could feel his sanity begin to twinge, the small thread taut and about to snap and he was going to go on a rampage if something didn't come out to at least greet them. There was a shuffling behind him and he spun on his heel, aiming his rifle at the sound, only to realize it was a stray piece of paper on the ground. At least there was litter. The closer he looked through, the more he realized that the residents of the area had been forced out, as if dragged or taken. He could tell by the overturned chairs in the lower level of the buildings, the hotel desk that was littered with papers, and the food on a table in the empty cafe with flies buzzing around. Where was everyone?

"Glad you could come to the party," a ghastly voice said from a balcony. They looked up to see Reaper leaning against the railing. The soldier wasted no time in firing his rockets, only for them to go through smoke as the black villain descended to the ground to stand in front of them. "I know what you're here for-"

"Then return her to us," Genji interrupted, his body positioned to throw shurikens at him.

"Soon. She still has some...training to go through," he said with a chuckle, looking to 76. "She will want to see you. At the base of the tower." Then, in another puff of smoke, he disappeared.

They looked to each other in confusion. 76 wasted no time and ran to the destined location, Genji close behind, skidding to a halt as there stood their beloved Mercy. Her valkyrie suit was torn, only a red chest piece remained and it barely covered her, the spandex suit was gone, her milky white thighs exposed to the two men who loved her, and the halo that rested on her head was black. It was Mercy, but it wasn't their beloved Angela. Her eyes were no longer the lustrous blue that they remembered, they were tinted with red, giving her irises a purple hue. "Glad you could come to the party," she said, mimicking Reaper's exact words.

"Mercy?" Reinhardt asked, swallowing the lump in his throat as he stepped in front of the group and raised his arm, ready to use his shield if need be. Even though it was the doctor he knew and loved, it still wasn't.

From behind her in the tower, a swarm of soldiers filed out with their rifles raised, more came from the buildings around them and surrounded the Overwatch group. But 76 saw none of that, he only saw a twisted and tainted Mercy. What did they do to her? From behind the group of Talon agents came Widowmaker, an evil smirk on her face as she stood next to the corrupted angel, the bloodied gauze now removed and she wore a black leather suit that hugged her curves deliciously.

"What have you done to her?" 76 shouted, glaring daggers into the purple woman.

"We have liberated her, haven't we Mercy?" she asked, looking at the doctor from the corner of her eyes.

Mercy returned the same look and grinned, pulling her pistol from her hip and pointing it at Soldier 76. Without hesitation, she fired the gun. Reinhardt wasn't fast enough to get his shield up, the bullet whizzing past the energy shield and thudding into her target's chest. There was silence as everyone watched, the other three Overwatch members in horror, the two women with glee, as he looked down at his chest to see blood pouring from the wound. He fell to his knees and then looked back up to the woman who shot him, his vision going blurry. "Angela," he called out to her, his head falling forward as a final breath left him and he collapsed onto the street.


	5. Wisdom

_His eyes fluttered open and he was on a hospital bed, looking up at the white lights that shone down on him, blinding him momentarily. "Good, you're awake," he heard a female voice say to him, craning his head in search of the voice. "I am your medical practitioner, Doctor Ziegler. That was quite a nasty tumble you took."_

_He squinted his eyes and looked around, grimacing against the pain in his head. He lifted one hand to press against the bandage against his skin, leaning forward on his elbow to sit up. "Oh, no, no, you mustn't strain yourself," she said, pressing her hand against his shoulder and pushing him back down on the bed._

_76 swallowed the lump in his throat as he looked up at her, confusion etched into his features. "Where am I?" he asked, looking around._

_"You're in Gibraltar," she replied, smiling and walking to the edge of the bed to grab a clipboard. "You've been unconscious for three days, self-induced coma from the concussion you suffered. Nasty stuff. How are you feeling?"_

_He squinted against the light and looked around, running his dry tongue over his parched lips. "Thirsty," he said and she retrieved a glass for him, tilting his chin so he could drink. "And could you turn off the lights?"_

_She looked up at the ceiling and frowned, walking to the window and closing the blinds. The room was instantly swallowed in darkness. "Sensitivity to light is common, but I haven't seen it this bad before," she said and he realized that the lights weren't actually on, it was the sun filtering through._

_"What happened?" he asked, looking back to her after handing her the glass back._

_"You were carted in here after a mission, Commander Reyes was a little unclear about the details," she said, pursing her lips and frowning. "He did explain you fell from a building. I am surprised there are not more breaks or bruises on your body, but I suppose a concussion will suffice."_

_He had fallen? Off a building? The last thing he remembered was being in Eichenwalde with Reinhardt but...when had he fallen? He shook his head as he tried to remember and clutched his head, the pain too severe to recall anything solid. "You said...I've been out for three days?" he asked, peeking at her again._

_"Ja, Commander," she said, bowing her head at the title._

_"Please, call me Jack," he said, smirking and wincing at the pain. She grinned at the notion and grabbed some pills from the cupboard, walking back to him and helping him take them. "You're the new doctor, right? I saw you when you came in."_

_"Ja," she answered, sitting in the chair next to him. "I transferred here from Switzerland a few months ago. And I must say, you have taken the roughest of all tumbles in my medical career. Although it's only been perhaps three years, but I am young and still have my whole career ahead of me, my father was a doctor too but he-" She raised her brows and blushed, lowering her gaze as she cleared her throat, embarrassed that she had been caught rambling. "I'm sorry, Commander-"_

_"Jack," he said again with a grin, unperturbed by her rambling._

_"Well...Jack...you need your rest. I will return in a few hours; if you need anything, press that buzzer there," she said, pointing to the red button on the side of his bed._

_"Thank you, Doctor," he said with nod._

_"Please, call me Angela," she said, blushing once more and walked out of the room, the tails of her lab coat trailing behind._

"Get up, soldier!"

The sounds around him began to grow louder as the memory faded, a warm light filling him as he opened his eyes to see the pavement of Kings Row. Reinhardt was lifting him by the back of the collar, pulling him upwards and over his shoulder, and the faint outline of a glowing Zenyatta could be seen as bullets flew around them. Genji was deflecting what he could while moving backwards with the group, jumping behind Reinhardt's shield when he lost the stamina to keep his blade going. They were backing away from the group, almost being herded through the door of an abandoned building on the side. The large German man spun around and barreled into the building, the last thing that 76 saw was the smirk on Angela's face before his world went black again.

_The lights were dim and the candle on the table provided enough light for him to see his beautiful date. She had her hair down, just the way he liked, and she was wearing a pair of earrings he had bought her for her birthday. Although it was an anonymous gift, the fact she wore them tonight implied she knew who they were from; a beautiful pair of sapphire earrings that brought out the sparkle in her own eyes. "You look beautiful tonight," Jack said, unable to tear his eyes away from her, everything about her was just so perfect._

_She blushed and thanked him quietly, reaching for the glass of wine in front of her and taking a small sip, enough to regain her composure and hide her reddened cheeks. "You look dashing yourself, Commander," she said, clearing her throat, eyes glancing over the black button up he wore with the sleeves rolled up to expose his forearms, the top button of his collar undone._

_"Angela, call me Jack. It seems strange if you call me that while we're on a date," he said, resting his arms on the table. "It...is a date, right?"_

_She nodded and smiled, biting her bottom lip. He loved when she did that. "I just haven't been on a date with a superior before," she said quietly, looking around as if they were going to get caught doing something bad._

_"I would hardly consider myself your superior," he replied, his eyes trailing down to the white sleeveless dress she wore, curving at her collarbones to expose the skin of her throat but left much to the imagination._

_"But, sir-"_

_"Really, Angela. It's okay, relax," he said, leaning back and reaching for his beer, taking a drink and setting it back on the table. "Let's talk about something. What made you become a doctor?"_

_She eased visibly, taking another sip of her wine before discussing her parents and their love for helping people, how she had loved to help people as well. Angela had inherited her father's belongings and research when he had passed, perfecting the valkyrie suit to what it was today, which had been her father's project. However, she grew more quiet at the end of her tale and took another sip of wine, running her slender finger over the rim of the glass. "I'm sorry. What about you? Have you always wanted to be a military man?" she asked, resting her elbow on the table and her chin in her hand, looking at him with interest._

_"No, actually," he answered, respecting the fact she wanted to change attention from herself. "I had originally planned on joining the military for only a short time, enough to get the Omics out of the country, but my C.O. was adamant I stay on. I had planned to return to my family's farm in Indiana in reality."_

_"Have you seen them since?"_

_He was silent for a moment as he lowered his gaze and shook his head. "When it was announced Overwatch was ready, Gabe and I leapt at the chance," he replied, taking another swig of his beer._

_"So you joined together?" she pushed, curious with his origins._

_"We did," he nodded, looking away from her for a moment as a slow song started from the live singer on the stage nearby. The dance floor only had two couples as the song started, and Jack was not one to miss out on an opportunity, rising from the table and throwing his napkin down. In one swift motion, he was standing by Angela with his hand extended to her, an expectant grin on his face as he waited for her. "May I have this dance?"_

_She blushed and couldn't keep the smile off her face, following his lead with the napkin and placing her hand in his, following him to the floor. He kept their hands together, resting his other hand on her waist while she rested hers on his shoulder; it was only a moment before they found the perfect rhythm, moving in sync with each other to the beat. It was a song of love, passion, and giving oneself wholly to the other person, and suddenly it felt like they were the only two on the floor. She stared up into his eyes and he into hers, their bodies subconsciously moving closer together and then her head was resting on his chest, his arm wrapping tighter around her waist. It was warm, comforting, and safe being in his arms, holding her tenderly the way he was. And it felt right for him, like the perfect pistol fitting into the perfect holster, two pieces of the same puzzle, the perfect woman in his arms._

His eyes fluttered open to see Zenyatta staring down at him, a feeling of unease running through his body as he sat up and touched his chest, memories of the bullet piercing his skin. "Why aren't I dead?" 76 asked, looking up at the omnic monk.

"Finding enlightenment allows me to focus my energies upon you, once peace settles, you are healed," he answered, although the answer confused the soldier more. Why could he never just get a straight answer? Sensing the confusion, Zenyatta let out a human sigh and shook his head. "Big light shines, you heal."

He frowned in response, a rather unamused look spread across his face and a vein twitched uncontrollably in his temple. Maybe that was too straight of an answer. "Where's Genji?" he asked, looking around. "And Reinhardt?"

"At the door, making sure we were not interrupted. Come, let us retrieve your angel," the monk said, gliding away from the soldier as he rose from the ground.

"She's not my angel," he grunted, rolling his shoulders and cracking his neck. He checked his pulse rifle and headed for the door, for a metallic hand to stop him.

"I may not be as entirely familiar with human customs as my master was, but I know emotion when I see it," he said, lowering his hand. "And I know that the emotions you feel for Angela stretch far beyond guilt and recourse. You know her by name, where none of us have said her name in your presence. There is something deep within you that yearns for her, and I will not pretend to know how or why, but you know her for reasons other than your recent joining. For all intents and purposes, she is your angel."

76's clenched his jaw at the speech, running his tongue along the back of his teeth. Was he really that obvious? Or was the omnic truly that perceptive? Either way, no one else could know. "Genji is not to know," he commanded, glaring the metal man down.

"And he will not unless you tell him. He may be wise beyond his years, but he is still young and blind to others emotions, unless they are centered on him. Be careful when you speak with him, he still has much training to do," was the reply, and the two rejoined the others for a battle.


	6. Beneath the Mask

There was silence on the streets as no Talon agent fired their weapon, sitting in wait for the Overwatch group to make the first move. Reinhardt stood by the door, his shield up but nothing came; Genji stood behind him with his katana at the ready, but still nothing came. "What are they waiting for?" Genji whispered, his hand tightening around the handle of his blade.

"I don't know," Reinhardt replied in the same hushed tone.

"They're waiting for us to make the first move," 76 answered, stepping behind them and peering past the large man's shoulder.

"Why?"

"Because they want us to let our guard down," came the simple retort. The group was silent for a moment as the reality of their predicament began to settle in, the realization that they may not make it out alive began to weigh heavily on them. The infamous vigilante peered past Reinhardt once more to where Mercy and Widowmaker were standing on the top steps to the tower entrance, both women looking in their direction with the patience of a saint. Or the patience of a predator. His eyes scanned the area and he frowned, furrowing his brow as he tried to crane his neck to see further. Where was Reaper? The mastermind behind this plan hadn't shown himself since the street, hadn't engaged in the battle, surely he wouldn't want to miss out on killing members of Overwatch. Lowering his rifle, he pressed a finger to the communicator in his ear. "Tracer? Tracer, can you hear me?"

Silence. A bit of static, but still nothing.

"Tracer? For God's sake, woman, can you hear me?" he repeated with a snarl, taking a step away from the group.

"What are you doing?" Genji asked, his eyes fixated on the group ahead of them.

76 ignored him, speaking into the communicator again.

"Loud and clear, love!" came the response, and a wave of relief washed over him.

"We need an extraction, we're surrounded. Base of the tower, three minutes," he said, looking back to Reinhardt who was peering at him over his raised arm.

"I can be there in two," she said.

"Get ready to move," he said, checking his rifle before looking through the window to Mercy. His beloved Mercy. He had a plan to get her out, and he promised she wouldn't be left behind this time.

"What's the plan?" Reinhardt asked, a smile on his lips.

"Kick some ass, grab Mercy, and get out," he replied, sidling up to stand next to the large man. "Ready?"

"Ready!" the other three said in unison.

Reinhardt took a step forward, his shield still up, the rest of the team behind him as they moved. There was still silence as all eyes were on them, the instant they crossed the threshold bullets began to fly past them in an attempt to destroy the shield or hit one of them. "Zenyatta, are you ready?" 76 shouted over the chaos. "Genji, take out Widow. Rein, hammer 'em. Shield down!" They moved in a flurry of motion, executing the orders as quickly as they could for their transport was already on it's way.

The moment Reinhardt dissolved his shield, Zenyatta was in front of them, channeling his focused energy to deflect the projectiles heading for them. He was swathed in a golden light that illuminated all dark spaces around him, four more seemingly translucent arms coming from his sides as he protected his teammates and there was a gentle, soothing hum that followed him. Genji and 76 raced to the stairs of the tower, the cyborg wasting no time in throwing his shurikens at the purple hued woman, the other man firing his helix rockets to blast away any immediate threat. Mercy raised her pistol and fired at them, missing and growling with displeasure. Even though she wasn't their Mercy, she was still Angela and couldn't shoot under pressure, which Soldier had been counting on.

With Widowmaker distracted, and the Talon agents focusing on taking down the unstoppable force of Zenyatta and Reinhardt, Soldier 76 approached Mercy with the barrel of his gun aimed at her leg. "Come on, Mercy, we're not going to hurt you," he said, taking careful steps towards her.

She fired her gun once more, but it clicked. Empty. "Stand down, schweinehund," she commanded, raising her caduceus staff towards him in a threatening pose.  
"I don't have time for this," 76 said, pushing down the feelings in his heart for her and surging forward, using the butt of his rifle to hit her in the face and knock her out. Despite the pain it caused him to do such a thing, he knew there was no time and the Orca was now overhead. Bending down to lift her over his shoulder, he rose to see Reaper standing before him. He didn't move, he didn't raise his weapon, he simply stared at Soldier 76. Taking a careful step back, the vigilante was surprised to see that his nemesis still didn't move towards him. What game was he playing?

"I'm here, love. Ready to go?" came the voice into his earpiece, and he looked up to see the Orca hovering. Reinhardt and Zenyatta were already in the ship and were hoisting Genji upwards, all that awaited was the other two.

76 looked back to Reaper and stepped towards the rope that was waiting him. No one made a move, no one fired their weapons anymore, and no one stopped them. Something was wrong. "Breaking her will be your undoing, boy scout," Reaper said to himself, watching as the duo ascended to their escape. An evil grin crossed his features unseen behind the mask, and his plan was complete. Now, to wait.

* * *

Her head ached, her body hurt, everything was in pain. Mercy opened her eyes and grimaced against the pain, a memory that seemed like years ago flashing through her mind: Reaper pressing her against the wall, a wicked laugh in her ear, pain radiating through her entire being. However, this wasn't the same room that had taken place, he was nowhere to be seen, and as quickly as the memory came it faded and she returned to herself. Well, what she knew was herself anyways. But she wasn't herself in the eyes of the Overwatch team. She was in an interrogation room, one that she vaguely recognized as being in Gibraltar. She could hear voices on the other side of the door, but wasn't sure who they belonged to or what they were fighting about.

"Why should you go in? This is your doing," Genji said, pointing an accusing finger at Soldier 76.

"Which is exactly why I should go in there," he countered, not backing down from the threatening digit.

"You have no right to go in there. She is mine," the cyborg spat, fury bubbling beneath the plated armor he wore.

"A compromise?" came the familiar soothing voice of Zenyatta. "We have no notion of how to break her current state. Perhaps individual rehabilitation is in order. We will each take our turns, gauge her reaction, and whomsoever has the most impact will be responsible for unraveling her tangled mind."

"No," Genji said without hesitation, not tearing his eyes away from the other man. "You stay away from her. She is in this mess because of you, the last thing she would want to see is you. I know everything about her and I will be the one to fix her." He shouldered into him and opened the door, slamming it shut behind him.

76 growled audibly and clenched his fists, unable to resist the rage that built within him and so turned to the nearest wall, punching a dent into the sturdy metal. His hand rested against the hole and so too did his head, the agony of the truth weighing heavily on his already burdened mind. Angela was in there because of him, she was broken because of him. And there may not be a way to save her.

Genji slammed the door behind him, standing idle as he stared at Mercy; she had been handcuffed to the table to limit her movements, no one trusting she wouldn't retaliate or try to escape. It pained Pharah to shackle her like a common criminal, but after hearing what had happened, they weren't taking any risks. And the worst part, she hardly recognized anyone on the Overwatch team except for the ones that had intervened in King's Row. This wasn't his Angela. The cyborg stepped forward to lean against the table, a sigh of defeat escaping the visor on his face. "Angela, I am so sorry-"

"Don't call me that, Gräuel," she spat, narrowing her eyes at him and leaning forward in her seat. She couldn't lean far, but the venom in her words made him stand upright. He frowned beneath the visor, mentally calming and reminding himself that this was no longer his Angela. "Oh, have I upset you?" There was no sincerity in her voice.

He growled and slammed his hands on the table. "Why must you hurt me? I am trying to help you," he said, removing the mask from his scarred face, his dark brown eyes searching her purples. When that color faded, he will know that he's made some progress. But how to make her remember? How to make her break this curse and be his Angela once more? "Do you not recognize me?"

She was silent, gritting her teeth as she traced his features with her eyes, grimacing after a moment. "I would surely remember that face," she said and smirked, laughing when he growled and slammed his hands on the table. "It seems the Sparrow is trying to become the Eagle. How cute!"

"Damn it, Angela!" he shouted, turning away from her and placing the visor back over his face. Well, that plan failed. When he turned back to her, the laughing had stopped but that coy smirk was still plastered on her beautiful face. "Perhaps I am being too gentle. How did they change you? Maybe we must do the same to change you back."

In that brief moment after his suggestion, a flicker of fear crossed her face, but it was gone as fast as it had come. "You wouldn't," she taunted, raising a slender brow. "You can't hurt me, you love me. I know, I can see it."

Genji stepped forward and clutched her cheeks, pulling her face close to his. "And because I love you, I am willing to take drastic measures to ensure your safety and sanity," he said, the fear evident in her eyes once more. "Tell me what they did to you."

She fell silent, struggling to break free but to no avail. Tears began to spring to her eyes at the pain in her jaw, attempting to pull away from him. A brief flash of recognition twisted her visage as a tear fell down her cheek, and she looked up to Genji. "Please, don't hurt me," she said, choking against the lump in her throat.

He released her and knelt down before her, his face twisting into regret that she couldn't see. "I am so sorry, Angela," he said, resting a hand on her knee.

She lowered her gaze and her shoulders shook, what sounded like sobs came from her and his heart broke at the sound. But then, he realized, she wasn't sobbing, she was laughing. When she looked back up, there were tears down her cheeks, but that same wicked grin was on her face. "So predictable, so easy! Do not waste your time on your precious Angela, she is gone," she said, spitting on his visor and laughing when he gripped her knee hard.

Genji said nothing, rising from the floor with his hands clenched at his side; he needed a better plan. Something to convince her, to undo this horrid brainwashing. But how? Wiping away the spit from his visor, he stormed out with a cackling Mercy behind him. Zenyatta was waiting in the hall in a meditative pose, unmoving even as his pupil stomped down the hall. He could feel the tension in the young man the moment the door opened and knew better than to say anything, instead focusing on emitting the soothing harmony and peace that was meditation. It went unnoticed by the cyborg ninja who continued his stomping down the hall and away from the interrogation room.

Soldier 76 didn't play by anybody's rules but his own, so he blatantly ignored Genji's command to not enter the room. Mercy glanced up at the new interrogator and the corner of her lips curved upward in a cocky smirk. "Ah, the soldier," she said, her voice smooth like honey as it dripped from her tongue, tinged with the poison that shrouded her mind. "To what do I owe this pleasure?"

The older man said nothing, pulling a set of keys from his pocket and undoing the shackles that bound her to the table. She was caught off guard by this decision, but didn't question it, instead gripped her wrists and massaged the tender skin where the cuffs had been. He sat in the chair opposite her in silence, leaning forward on the table with his gloved hands intertwined together, his face unreadable behind the mask. "Did the cyborg send you in? Perhaps I was too harsh on him," she said with another smirk, but no answer came from the man. His silence was irritating. "Or perhaps you came in with the intentions of breaking me yourself?" Again, silence.

Mercy pursed her lips and furrowed her slender brow in frustration, lacing her own slender fingers together on the table and leaning forward. "Or perhaps you came in to have your way with me? Does the soldier need a doctor?" she breathed heavily, leaning forward to reach for his hands, to which he pulled away quickly. She smirked again, rising from the table to approach him slowly, trailing her hand across the smooth surface of the table as she did. "You retract from me, but you do not leave. Is there, perhaps, a method to your madness?"

He looked up at her but still said nothing, did not move, and made no motion to head for the door or re-shackle her. She grew confused at this tactic, used to either being thrown or used forcibly, or showered with praise and affection: good cop, bad cop. But this was...indifference. Why was here? What exactly was he trying to do? She stopped at the corner of the table when she was right next to him and growled audibly, slamming her hand on the table. "Why do you not speak? Have you lost your tongue and your mind?" she shouted, taking a step back and gasping as he jumped up from his chair, knocking it back to clatter against the floor. But still, he said nothing, just glowered at her. The silence was killing her, he had to say something, anything, please just anything to get the silence to stop eating away at her. He needed to react to something, and apparently coaxing him was the way to go, and so she proceeded the only way a brainwashed-Mercy knew how. Her features softened and she stepped towards him tentatively, reaching a hand up to rest against his solid chest, and still he did not move. But she could see his brow perk up in curiosity at her movements, urging her on to press her body against him and skim her fingers upwards to his neck. "Perhaps we can loosen that tongue of yours."

Unbeknownst to her, his eyes had closed at the familiarity of her touch, his heart quickened beneath his sternum, and he was having a hard time focusing. If only she knew who he was, this would never happen. If he hadn't have come back to Overwatch, she never would have been kidnapped and twisted into this fiend that caressed him with gentle touches, her lips trailing on his exposed neck, the fingers that reached at the bottom of his mask to pull it off... 76's eyes snapped open and he grabbed her wrists, shoving her back against the table and she let out a squeal of delight. He didn't realize that their position would be considered suggestive, with his legs between hers and her knee resting on his hip. How badly he wanted this position to be real, not forced, not part of her sick and twisted game to get him to break. He was here to break her. "Someone's getting excited," she purred, relaxing her posture against him. "Is that your pistol, or are you just happy to see me?"

He grunted and released her, stepping away but not turning his back to her. Never turning his back, not on an enemy. "Have you lost all your senses, Mercy?" he asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Just for you," she replied, her voice low and husky. "Let me see your face. Why do you hide it from everyone? Does that horrendous scar cover your entire face?" Mercy pushed off from the table and flung herself at him, swinging her leg behind his knee and knocking him to the ground. He grabbed her wrists to keep her prying hands away from the mask; this wasn't how he wanted to reveal himself, and he'd be damned if it happened here. She struggled against him, straddling his abdomen as she pushed against the hard strength of an oak tree, and it seemed pointless. Until another wicked idea crossed her mind, and she used the grip on his wrists as leverage to push herself backwards over his pelvis, rocking her hips against his. Immediately, she could feel a rising heat between them and she smiled, lowering her hands slowly to rest on his chest, his hands still gripping her wrists. She would win this battle of will if it killed her.

Soldier 76 let out a soft groan, closing his eyes behind the visor. Something snapped within him and he thrust upwards, throwing her off of him and he was standing in a moment, his breath coming out in a ragged gasp. "Enough! Stop this, Angela!" he commanded, looking down at the woman with rage. How dare she use and manipulate him like this? He knew it wasn't her, wasn't truly her, but she knew how to get to him and that angered him the most. If only she knew. Undeterred by his outburst, she jumped up and tackled him once more, wrestling against his strong arms and lashing out at the mask on his face, feeling the smooth plastic slide under her fingertips but it still remained on his face. "Dammit, woman! I said stop!"

She did not relent, her goal to get the mask off his face was overwhelming her, pushing her to a place she had never been before; she was consumed by a force to reveal him, to learn who he was, and she didn't know why. Finally, her fingers slipped under the mask and she threw her hand upward, the mask sailing into the air and landing on the ground with a clatter. A gasp escaped her as she stared at him, her heels clicking against the floor as she pressed herself against the nearest wall.

"Jack…?"


	7. The Explosive Memory

_There was shouting in the room at the end of the hall, even through the closed doors she knew who it was: Jack and Gabriel. They were at each other's throats again, screaming and swearing, but about what she couldn't quite tell. Angela let out a sigh with a soft shake of her head, determined to break them up once more. Their bickering had gotten out of control lately, but whenever she asked either what it was about, they would grow silent and fume to themselves. Men, such children. She assured them that it would remain confidential, as was her promise as a doctor and a friend, but that didn't work either._

_This particular argument seemed to be growing more and more heated the closer she got to that closed door, a tightening in her belly told her something was different about this fight, something was wrong. As she edged closer to the door, pressing her face and hands against it, she cringed at the sound of something fragile breaking. Were they throwing things at each other?_

_"How could you do this?! Not only have you put all of Overwatch in danger, you've put her in danger as well!" came Jack's voice from the other side of the door._

_Gabriel scoffed, shaking his head. "As if the city would lead a full revolt against us. We're unstoppable," came his retort._

_"What you have done with Blackwatch is unacceptable. The entire world knows about your secret operations, and they'll want my head!"_

_"My operations? You were the one who demanded I take charge of the whole damn thing, you were the one who wanted to be in the spotlight as Commander of Overwatch-"_

_"With you by my side! We were friends, Gabriel-"_

_"Were," he interjected, Angela flinched at the tone. News had started to spread about the goings on of Blackwatch, the torture, the blackmail, the assassinations. All because Gabriel wanted a rise in power. "So you get the fame, the glory, and the girl. Tell me, what's it like having the doctor as your lover? Comes with the job right? Did she tell you her and I were a thing before you two were? When I was Commander."_

_Angela's mouth dropped in horror. The lying bastard! Why was he trying to stir up trouble like this?_

_"She'll do anything to stay at the top of the field, at the highest point in the chain of command. If it wasn't you, it'd surely be someone else," Gabriel continued, and she could just see the smirk spreading across his face._

_"You lie!" Jack shouted, his hands slamming down on what sounded like a table._

_"Do I? Tell me: does she ask you about daily operations? New recruits? Money? How your power is holding up even though we are in the most peaceful era of history?"_

_Her hands quivered with rage against the door, her eyes closed of their own accord and she took a steady breath, resting her head against the cool metal. Yes, she had asked those things, but as his girlfriend she took a keen interest in what he did, took a keen interest in her work, and wanted above all else, for Overwatch to succeed. And she most definitely was not using him! She pushed the doors open and stomped in, a seething fury in her eyes as she walked with purpose towards Gabriel. Both eyes turned to her, shock that she had come in unannounced, and the Blackwatch commander knew he was in trouble. The click of her heels echoed off the room, quiet in comparison to the crack of her palm against his left cheek. "How dare you, you...you...schweinehund! You and I were never a thing, how could I be with such a monster?" she said through clenched teeth, turning to Jack. "I would never betray you."_

_"Perra!" Gabriel shouted, grabbing the blonde by the arm and throwing her back against a nearby table. Her head made a sickening thump against the corner and she collapsed to the ground, groaning in agony from the pain, knowing better than to move. She couldn't open her eyes, the idea of seeing the room spinning around her from a possible concussion already had her stomach twisting with nausea, and she could feel a soft trickle of warmth seeping from the back of her skull._

_Jack acted swiftly, leaping over the nearby table and punching Gabriel in the jaw. The man reeled back from the attack, but was quick to recover, launching himself forward until the two were in a tumbled mess of fists and curses. Chairs were thrown, tables upturned, chaos erupted in the room until it went silent, the familiar clicking of a pistol halting the combatants. Who had pulled the gun? Angela peeked through one eye and tried not to gasp at the sight before her: Jack, bloodied and bruised, stood stock still with the barrel of a gun pointed at his face. "Now you listen to me," Gabriel said, breathing heavily as blood dripped from his broken nose. "I have stood idly by while you two ran amok with your childish relationship. I have stood by while you ran this operation, but I will stand by no longer. I am done with this bullshit, and I am done with you. Goodbye Jack, I'll make sure she's well taken care of."_

_It happened in slow motion, the spinning room wouldn't stop Angela from leaping to her feet and running towards him, wanting to protect Jack. Only Jack. He needed to survive, even if she didn't. "No!" she screamed, pushing against Gabriel's shoulder with all her might at the exact second he squeezed the trigger. The explosion of the gun bounced around in her ears, worsening the headache that was already building, stars exploded behind her eyes and she could have sworn she heard someone call her name._

_It was only a second before a greater blast knocked them all off their feet and flung them in opposite directions. It sounded like miles away, but she could hear someone screaming, sirens, a high pitched whine covered most of the sound. She rose to unsteady feet, swaying and grabbing at whatever was nearby. As she peered through blurry vision, she saw the chaos around her: half the building was in shambles, blood spattered a few places here and there, but there was no sign of Jack or Gabriel. "Jack! Gabriel!" she cried out, unable to find them. In a panic, and completely forgetting her pain, she began to shift through the rubble, turning over whatever she could lift in search of them. There were no signs. Someone grabbed her from behind, a large pair of arms encased her as she broke down crying. "No, let me go! I have to save him!"_

_"Doctor, you're hurt, we need to get you to the medical bay," said the rough german voice of an older man, now realizing it was Reinhardt who held her. "Angela, you're bleeding-"_

_His voice droned out as she looked around the chaos in a panic, the edges of her vision growing black as she realized she was about to pass out. She had to find Jack, she had to...find...Jack…_

"I thought you were dead," Mercy said, tears brimming her eyes. A gentle shade of blue began to pierce through the toxic purple. Her hands clenched at her side as she looked upon the familiar face of Jack Morrison before her, his scarred face no longer hidden behind the mask. Soldier 76 was Jack Morrison, the man she thought she had lost so many years ago.

"I was," he answered, his jaw tight and his teeth clenched. He had not wanted to reveal himself like this, actually not ever. And especially not to her; there was still work to be done.

"You left me! You didn't die in the explosion and you never came back! We...we had a funeral for you," she continued, grasping at the table as she took a step back, looking for support as she felt the strength leave her body. "You. Gabriel. You were both dead."

"You know better than I do that that isn't true," came his retort, his brows furrowing as he clenched his fingers. "You found Gabriel and made him the monster that he is-"

"No! I was helping him, I...I looked for you. Even after your funeral. I thought by helping him, he would help us find you. But he...he changed," she said, her voice quieting as she rested against the table. "Jack, you broke my heart."

Silence filled the room, and 76 was sure she could hear his rapid heartbeat in his chest. Yes, he had known that her heart would have been broken, but for him to complete his mission and bring down Talon once and for all he had to go into hiding. With no distractions. Even if that meant leaving Angela all alone. He bent down for his mask and placed it back over his face, the angry visage no longer visible to the confused angel before him. "I did what I had to do," he said after the lengthy pause.

Her lips quivered for a moment, a single tear dropped down her cheek which she promptly wiped away. The quiver was gone and replaced with a tight frown, her shoulders squaring as she regained her composure. "And I will do what I have to," she said, pushing away from the table to stand before him. "Even if that means taking you down with me." Mercy launched herself at him again, tackling him into the wall as she began to hit him, whether from the rage and betrayal of his untimely unveiling or because Talons hold was too strong, neither knew.

Soldier 76 grabbed her wrists, twisting then bending her over the table. "Enough, Angela," he growled, pinning her against the smooth surface as she let out a grunt of discomfort. "I am done with this."

The door burst open then as Pharah came in unannounced, hesitating for a moment as she took the scene in, grabbing the cuffs from the table and slapping them around Mercy's wrists. Together they got her back in the chair and shackled to the lock. "Sorry for the interruption," the Egyptian soldier said once the target was secure, turning her attention to 76. "Winston and Reinhardt have requested your presence in the mess hall."

He gave her a short and curt nod, waiting until she had left the room first to glance back at Mercy. "One day, perhaps, you'll forgive me," he whispered, shutting the door behind him.

* * *

"What exactly are you telling me here, monkey?" 76 asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

Winston let out a grunt of distaste, lowering his large finger from the computer screen. "I'm actually a gorilla, not a monkey-"

"Same thing."

"Monkeys have tails, I am an ape. Now, do you mind? We have more pressing matters to tend to like our doctor in the holding room."

He was met with silence and proceeded to re-explain his findings. "We don't know how Mercy became brainwashed, but we can surmise that it was either painful or fear inducing given what Genji has told us about his time with her. Pharah tells us that she was attacking you when she intervened which means that something is programming her to fight us. Now, you're job 76, will be to crack that programming and return her to normal," he said, taking his glasses from his face and rubbing the lenses with his large thumb and forefinger.

"Yeah, that's where you lost me. I don't think I'm the man for this sort of job," he replied, casting a sideways glance at Genji and jerking his thumb towards him. "Why not get Mr Roboto to do it?" There was no time for 'programming cracking' or 'un-brainwashing Angela'; he was on a mission and there was work to be done, regardless of their past.

Genji stood from the chair and nodded. "I agree, let me tend to her. Perhaps I can finally return the favor," he added quietly, ignoring the offensive comment.

"No, your judgement will be misplaced," Winston interjected, keeping his eyes on the soldier. "We need an outside man with no emotional attachment, therefore, 76 will perform these duties and ensure no harm comes to her or her brilliant mind. Are we in accordance? Good, then that is all. Genji, I believe Master Zenyatta was looking for you." He hadn't waited for a reply before dismissing them.


	8. Breaking Down

76 paced his room in silent, seething anger. Damn them, damn them all! Now, when he was so close to getting Talon, they had to dump him on a babysitting mission. True, it was Angela, his darling Angela. But she wasn't the same one he had fallen in love with; this was a twisted mutation of his once betrothed. And, to add salt to the wound, she was now Genji's romantic partner. It infuriated him to no end, the poor lamp in his room taking the brunt of his frustrations. With the anger finally dissolving, his legs gave out from under him as he fell to the soft comforter on his bed, a sigh escaped his lips as he ran a hand over his scarred face. In the privacy of his room, he always took off the mask so he could breathe easier, but it was also freeing in an emotional sense.

Never one to back down from a challenge, and despite his skepticism, he was determined to get their Mercy back. If only for the team. But how? She remembered things, so it wasn't a matter of bringing back memories, it was the fact that she just didn't give a damn. Genji, her lover, for whom she once cared deeply, was merely a plaything for her, to play on his emotions because she remembered that he cared for her. But she no longer cared for him. And upon seeing his own face, she had gasped and that recognition had flashed in her eyes. The feeling of hurt and betrayal broke through the grasp that Talon held on her, but he didn't want to put her through that pain and torment. She remembered him, but remembered the suffering she endured when he had 'died'. The heartbroken expression she had worn when seeing him had almost broken him, even now that pang of guilt and self loathing radiated through his whole being. If not for the team, then he would do it for her.

With a new sense of resolve, he rose from his bed and donned his signature mask, a determined scowl hidden behind the black and blue material. He would this for her.

* * *

Mercy remained in that holding cell, cuffed to the table, the silence deafening in that room. She could only hear the steady breathing and the repetitive beat of her own heart. She could handle being alone, she had been alone for years, even before Overwatch. When her father died, she had been alone. Perhaps not in a literal sense, as a way of comforting her, her other family members took her in and made sure she was surrounded by love. But she had always been alone. Her delicate fingers rapped on the table in time to her heart, her eyes closed and head bowed low. She had been alone until she met Jack. Her darling Jack.

She winced at a sharp pain behind her eyes that interrupted her thoughts, her tapping had stopped and she held her breath. The pain was momentary, subsiding as quickly as it had come, then she resumed her tapping. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. She needed to get out of here, out of Overwatch, out of Gibraltar, away from Talon and away from  _him_. Everything about remembering him and now knowing who he was hurt her, physical pain had coursed through her at seeing his face, like her heart had shattered within her chest. Unable to breath, unable to think, the haze of Talon fought it's way through and muffled all that insecurity as she lunged at him. A twinge of regret made her thumb tap between the beat of her fingers, but it too was gone within a moment.

She replayed that moment over and over in her head, the mask falling from his face, the clatter of it falling to the ground went unheard; her ears rang like the day the explosion had killed them all. The explosion that had changed her life forever. Another sharp pain pierced her brain and she let out a soft grunt, shutting her eyes tighter against the onslaught, then it was gone as was the memory of Jack. Slowly opening her eyes, Mercy concluded that thinking of him physically hurt her, remembering happy thoughts pained her in more ways than one. She would not think of him then, she would only think of her task at hand: destroy 76 and the inner workings of Overwatch. As she had been instructed.

The door opened with a gentle creak, the prisoner not looking up from the table as she continued to tap her finger. A breeze brushed past whoever had come in and wafted over the blonde, immediately cooling the heat that had built in the room and quenched the fire slowly building inside her. "Thought you'd like some food, love," came the timid British voice, placing a tray of food on the table near her. The tapping stopped, but otherwise there was no notion of Mercy's recognition. "You gave us quite a scare back there, being taken and...well…"

"Get out."

"Mercy, I-"

"I said get out!" the Swiss doctor screamed, rising swiftly to her feet and swinging her hand best she could to knock the food off the table. The chain holding her to the table rattled as she did so, the clatter of the tray echoing around the empty room and the gentle gasp of the pilot reverberated within her ears. In a hurry only Tracer could manage, she dashed out of the room and shut the door behind her, leaving the angry angel alone once more. She slumped back into her chair, resting her head against the cool metal of the table as tears sprung into her eyes. Why couldn't they just leave well enough alone?

"What do you think you're doing?" came a familiar male voice from outside the door. Genji.

"I was just bringing her some food," Tracer replied.

"Leave her be, she's been through enough."

"But-"

"Leave," came his gruff command, and she could hear the gentle clatter of his metallic body leaning against the door. She imagined he crossed his arms over his chest, lowered his visored head, and let out a deep breath. The pain in his voice was transparent even from in the holding room, and she knew that her change hurt him deep down. Another bolt of pain sliced through her thoughts and she grunted again, lifting her head from the table and resumed her tapping. Tap. Tap. Tap.

* * *

He had ways of making her care, he had ways of making her remember, and he would be damned if none of them worked. Soldier 76 walked down the empty hall and paused outside Mercy's office, her infirmary, his hand hovering over the doorknob. The last time he was here...no, he wouldn't think about it. He wouldn't think about those plump lips all over his, her soft skin beneath his calloused fingers, her breathy sighs as he nibbled on that sensitive spot beneath her earlobe. A grunt came from his lips as he opened the door, the sound of scattering papers from the forced air was the only notion of his presence in that darkened room. Since her capture, no one had set foot inside, the idea that they may not save their doctor had weighed heavily on them for that brief time and none wanted to disturb the peace within. He would be the first, and he would be the one to return their doctor to them.

To his right was the switch for the room, the lights taking a moment to flicker on from days of limited use. It wasn't as warm and welcoming as he remembered, the white halogen lights cast a stark glow on everything and he found himself wanting to leave as soon as possible. Crossing the distance to the counter, he picked up a few journals he knew belonged to Angela and tucked them under his arm, turning to leave before he stopped; on the desk against the other wall was a framed picture that caught his attention. A few more strides and he was standing in front of it, a steady hand reaching for that picture for closer examination. It was them, the original Overwatch team shortly after Mercy had joined: Reinhardt in the back with his behemoth bulk, Jesse McCree when he still had both arms, Captain Amari before she died, her daughter Fareeha before her, Gabriel and himself behind them, with Torbjorn and Mercy. She was holding two fingers up behind the shorter Swedish engineer's head with a huge, playful grin on her face. Angela, when she had only been eighteen. 76 could feel that familiar pang of longing and regret pierce his heart as he stuffed the photo under his arm and headed down the hallway to her holding cell.

He wasn't expecting to find Genji leaning against the door. The cyborg didn't glance up at the sound of footsteps down the hall, but his stance became more rigid as it dawned on him that the man had memorized the way the soldier's feet echoed. Rolling his eyes, he reached for the doorknob beside him, but was stopped as a metallic hand grasped his wrist, his grip tight and threatening. "What do you have?" came his soft voice, causing the older man to look up.

"What do you care?"

There was a heavy silence in the air between the two, staring each other down through visor and mask. A brief moment went by before Genji looked down at the things in his arm, and his grip tightened, his gaze flashing back up to 76. "You know who she is to me," he replied simply, still unmoving.

"I suggest you release my arm, before you lose it," 76 replied, ripping his arm from the grasp and Mercy's belongings fell to the ground with a soft thump. They both looked down at the open books, the picture face up and leaning against one of the open books.

A flash of silver caught the soldier's eye before it reached him, the blade of the other's katana held firmly between his gloved hands. He had stopped the surprise assault with his quick reflexes, one foot sliding to brace himself from behind. "Who is she to you?!" Genji shouted, pushing down in the hopes his blade would slip through 76's grip and slice him down the abdomen. "How do you know about her journals? Her picture? How do you know her?!"

Shit. Had Zenyatta said something? "I don't know what you're talking about," he denied, putting more strength into his palms as he felt the blade begin to slide down from his palms, the tip coming dangerously close to his sternum.

"Don't lie to me! I know something is going on. Why does she speak only with you? Why has it been decided that  _you_  are the only who can help her? I can fix her!" he growled, pushing harder. Hard enough to force the white haired man back a step.

A growl of defiance came from 76 then as he stepped to the side and released the blade, Genji stumbling forward and his sword clanged against the metal wall. Quick to recover, he spun to face his foe again and positioned his sword behind him, readying to thrust should the other decide to retaliate. "You are a fool, she is not broken," came the unexpected response.

"She is not the state that she was, therefore she is broken."

"Moron. She laughed at you, mocked you, used your own emotions against you, and you think you can 'fix' her?"

Another growl came from Genji as he rushed forward, sword swinging when a round, metallic ball hit him in the head and bounced to the ground. The ping of metal on metal echoed down the hall, stopping the two in their altercation as they looked for the culprit. Zenyatta approached, his metallic arms behind his back as he walked unperturbed by the sight before him. "My apologies, Soldier. My pupil has let rage blind him from the truth: you  _are_  the best man for the job," he said, bending down to pick up the forgotten orb and turn to face Genji. "Perhaps some meditation will clear your judgement. Come, Genji, let us remember our lesson on civility."

"Master, I-"

"Now, Genji," Zenyatta ordered, continuing to look ahead as he walked past the two.

The two glared at each other, even as the cyborg left, and then 76 was alone in the hall once more. With a shake of his head and a frustrated grunt, he bent down and picked up the discarded journals and picture, his eyes lingering on the beautiful young face of Angela. A thumb trailed over her image for only a moment before he proceeded inside the interrogation room.

Mercy looked up from the table, her tapping stopped as he entered, and her purple eyes were bloodshot and puffy as if she had been crying. That pang of guilt and pain shot through him, and he was thankful for the mask, but continued on inside without a word. Like the first time, he sat in the chair opposite her without a word and dropped the objects on the table with disinterest. She, however, was much more interested. A shaking hand reached for the first journal, pulling it towards her as her gaze skimmed over the familiar writing. Her slender hand ran across the pages as the memories began to assault her, memories of her patients, of her discoveries, her career, of Jack in the room with her. Another spark of pain shot through her at that memory, and she quickly changed her attention to the things in front of her. Her findings, her first efforts at nano technology. The next book was filled with her successes and failures at rebuilding Genji, and there was no pain at the memory of him. Why was it only Jack? Another gentle prod on her brain and she resumed reading, glancing up at 76 with a smirk. "What have you brought me? Memorabilia? Like you think this would work?" she chuckled, glancing back down to the papers.

Without a word, the man picked up the picture frame and dropped it on the journal she was reading. Her eyes widened in horror, knowing that the onslaught of pain was only moments behind. Glancing over the familiar faces of her comrades, they stopped at the familiar young face of Jack, his broad shoulders nothing in comparison to Reinhardt who stood behind him, a young Fareeha in front of her mother. Pharah, she was called. Ana. The image of a hooded Gabriel to the left had memories of Reaper flashing before her eyes, a twisting sensation began in her stomach at the memory of what he had done to her. Of what she had become. Violet eyes shot back to the image of herself, then to Jack, and the pain began to build. She couldn't tear her eyes away from his image, her hands shaking as she gripped the edges of the frame, trying to force herself through the pain, but it became so overwhelming that she couldn't stop the scream from escaping her lips. In a reflex of pain and self preservation, she flung the picture against the wall and felt internally satisfied as the glass shattered before hitting the floor. But her face betrayed her, tears leapt to her eyes and she looked back to 76 with a burning anger. "Why have you brought me these? Why do you continue to hurt me even after you've died?" she shouted, standing swiftly and pulling against the chains in a feeble attempt to escape. She needed to get away, to get out, away from him, away from this place, away from the pain.

He sat silently, watching her, his arms crossed over his burly chest. He refused to let himself succumb to the urge of releasing her and holding her, of comforting that which he knew he could not. She was not his Angela, and he would break her before he would fix her.

"Why must you torment me? Get out! Get out you bastard!" she screamed, sobbing and pulling against the chains harder and harder, the metal edges digging into her wrists hard enough to break the skin. A small trickle of blood trailed down her wrist and dripped onto the table, but still he didn't move. Not a word. Her struggling slowed as she collapsed into her chair, weeping and hiccuping like a small child, her head hung low with her arms outstretched before her. "Why are you doing this?" Mercy's voice was small and he almost didn't catch her words.

"You are doing this to yourself," he finally said, his gruff voice quiet and pained.

Her brows furrowed in confusion, a soft shake of her head had her blonde curls falling from their elastic confinement. "I have done nothing," she countered, clenching her trembling hands. He rose from his chair, walking to the photo and shaking off the broken glass. 76 stood still for a moment, regarding that picture with regret and longing one last time before placing it before her on the desk. She looked down at it again, lingering over his image one last time, the pain beginning to build once more. But before it could debilitate her, she looked up at him, her brows still furrowed and eyes wet with tears. "Then why?"

A moment of silence passed between them, the air no longer tinged with hatred and betrayal. "Because I loved you once," he said, turning on his heel and leaving her alone once more.


	9. Mystery Solved

Thump. Thump. Tha-thump. Tha-da-thump. The sound of Genji's fists colliding with the training dummy resounded through the empty gym, heard only by himself and the omnic monk. His rage fueled him, the anger only increasing as he continued his onslaught of frustration, building speed and power as he pushed himself. Why did the new guy get to help Angela? Why did Angela respond to him? Even though the youngest Shimada was unclear about what was said between the two, he suspected there was a chemistry. But why? How? What could he possibly know to break her down? And why did his master declare openly that the best way to fix her would be through  _him_? It just didn't make any sense!

A swift kick to the head sent the dummy flying to the floor, leaving the heavily breathing ninja at a loss. He was lost. How could they get Angela back? And if they did, would their relationship return to normal? He missed her, missed her smile, her laugh, her touch…

"Does your aggression appease you?" came Zenyatta's voice from behind him.

There was no answer save for his heavy breathing. Of course it didn't appease him, he was still angry and left without answers, answers that no one seemed to have. "Master, I do not know how to overcome this obstacle," he said after a moment, turning to face his teacher.

The omnic was meditating on a blue pad nearby, hovering six inches from the ground, and his orbs circled around his body. His electronic eyes opened to look at his pupil, an essence of calm emanating from him and wrapping around Genji. "The only obstacle is yourself," he said, hovering to the left to make room on the mat.

Taking the invitation, the student sat next to his teacher with his legs crossed, hands resting on his knees. "How do I overcome myself?"

"You must see beyond and gaze into the iris, for a closed mind is already defeated," he replied, lowering his gaze once more.

Genji fell into the same meditation, slipping quickly into the familiar dream like state.

_The day he had been recruited into Overwatch was not a dream come true. Hanzo, his beloved brother, had killed him. Or so he thought. When he had awoken on that hospital bed, all he had seen was her face. Angela. The angel that resurrected him, halo illuminating her gorgeous head of blonde hair, leaning over him to follow the direction of his eyes. "He is recovering," she said, but to whom he wasn't sure._

" _When will he be ready?" came the male voice from the other side of the bed._

" _When he is ready; we cannot rush science, Jack," she replied with a condescending tone._

_There was a scoff from the end of the bed, another man. "He betrayed his familia, what makes you think he won't betray us?"_

_Angela looked over to the man with furrowed brows and pursed lips, her sapphire eyes narrowed. "I will not tolerate judgment in my ward, Commander Reyes. If you'd be so kind," she said, nodding to the door._

_Another scoff and he left. The pair of feet moved away from the bed, whispering to each other that he couldn't hear. "I will provide you with a report when I have one," the angel said, setting down the chart she held on the counter nearby._

" _Very well, doctor," Jack replied, heading for the door._

_Angela returned to Genji's side, his focus solely on her._

Genji let out a sigh as he returned to the present, bowing his head. "Master, I recall that vision often, why is it important now?" he asked aloud, keeping his eyes closed, knowing what the answer was even as he uttered the question.

"Focus deeper, my pupil. Remember what you do not recall."

_Another scoff and he left. The pair of feet moved away from the bed, whispering to each other that he couldn't hear. "I love you," the man said, planting a kiss on her cheek._

" _I love you too, Jack" she replied quietly, giggling from his sign of affection. "I will provide you with a report when I have one…"_

" _I love you too, Jack…"_

 _Jack._ Jack! Genji's eyes popped open as the realization hit him, causing him to fall back on the mat in a daze. Jack Morrison was her first love, he had left such an imprint on her heart that it took years to recover after his death. And he had remained an imprint on her broken heart, the heart he himself had slowly begun to mend. But had not managed to leave enough of a mark to heal her. Even now. There had been many nights where he consoled her from the loss, staying by her bedside should she awaken from nightmares of his death. He was her epic love, and she had never recovered. That meant he still held power over her, that meant that she knew something she wasn't telling anyone. That meant Jack Morrison was Soldier 76. Soldier 76 was Jack Morrison!

"Does your answer appease you?" Zenyatta asked, the orbs around his body humming as the floated around him.

The best way to fix Angela was to start at the beginning to when she was broken. To the day he died and broke her, to the day she died. And Genji was not the answer. Of course this answer didn't appease him! It didn't please or comfort him in any way. Why would his Master allow him to come to this realization? Unless… "How long have you known?"

"Would my answer change anything?"

He was met with silence again, the answer obvious once again. "What am I to do?" he asked, his voice quiet and husky.

"The outcome is not preordained."

Sometimes he hated that his master spoke in such a way, leaving only riddles as answers, which only made more questions. But perhaps, there was something to his words after all. Yes, his destiny was not set in stone. But neither was Mercy's. Jack would heal her, and she would return to him. He could wait, for patience is a warrior's greatest weapon.

* * *

Soldier 76 had returned to his room after his time with Mercy, wondering how to proceed. He was obviously getting through to her, but how to fully set her free? Mask off and on the desk nearby, he ran a hand over his scarred face and let out a heavy sigh. Why had he been assigned this job? This was stupid, he didn't have time for this. Talon could be making another move, and here he was playing babysitter. Just get the job done, no point in trying to do other things when he was already on a mission.  _Fuck,_  he thought to himself. And this mission wasn't going to get itself done if she was restricted to a holding cell and chained to the table; she needed to be out and looking at people, at familiar things, to get the motor revving again. So that's what he planned, for her to get out and about, and keep her in check.

The next morning, clean and relatively well rested, he donned his signature mask and jacket to resume this mission he was assigned. He didn't like it, but he would do his damned best. 76 didn't knock when he entered the room, didn't say a word as she looked up from the table she was attached to and asked what he was doing, and turned his back to her when she was finally uncuffed. "What are you doing, soldier? Why are you releasing me?" she asked, and only then did he stop to face her.

"You are still a prisoner. Come on, I haven't got all day," he said, holding the heavy door open with his back as he crossed his arms over his chest. She stood from the table and massaged her wrists, looking at him with suspicion before stepped towards the door. His hand shot out before she crossed the threshold to brace against the other side of the doorframe. "And don't try anything stupid. As long as you're with me, you're safe. If you're seen alone, there is a kill on sight order. Are we clear?"

"Crystal," she replied with a sneer, glaring back at him with, what she hoped, was the same face he was giving her. It was easier to look at him with the mask on, not thinking about it being Jack Morrison under there, not feeling the sharp pains rip through her brain. This would be easier, she hoped.

They walked down the corridor towards his room, stopping only for him to punch in the code to unlock the door. "Have a shower, you stink," he said, pointing to the bathroom. "And when you're done, get dressed. I'll have Lena get your clothes for you."

She looked up at him in confusion, wondering why he was ordering her to do this. Although a shower did sound nice, the normalcy of it all was tempting and perhaps some of her humanity would come back. Maybe. And despite the fact she wanted to fight against him, the call of hot water was too much and so she marched into the bathroom and turned on the water.

She was in there for a long time and 76 tried not to think about her wet, lithe body lathered in soap. Water rivulets cascading over her ample bosom and between her supple legs, her hands trailing over her body to be clean.  _Stop it,_  he scolded himself, pacing back and forth in his room as he waited for Tracer. There was a knock at the door, and there she stood with some normal clothes and Angela's lab coat. "Here ya go, love. What's on the agenda today?" she asked, slipping into his room before a word could be made in protest.

"Tracer, get out," he ordered, but she spun on her heel and smiled at him, flopping onto her bed.

"Oh, come on! I wanna see a clean, Ange. She was always so nice after a hot shower," the Brit replied, crossing her legs at the knee when the sound of the water turned off. "Oh, oh, here she comes."

Mercy grabbed a nearby towel and wrapped it around her now clean body, noticing how it's length barely covered her. "Where are my clothes, Soldier?" she asked, stepping out of the bathroom, only to see Tracer's mouth drop open and eyes widen. She could only imagine 76 was doing the same behind the mask. A wicked grin curved on her lips as she cocked her hip to the side, her opposite thigh jutting through the opening of the towel and teasing the two. "Or would you prefer I keep just this on?"

Soldier 76 blinked hard and kept himself in check, tossing her the clothes. She caught them in mid air, hugging the articles to her chest to keep the towel still wrapped around her. "Hurry up, I haven't got all day," he grunted, turning back to Tracer. "And you, get out."

It took a moment for Lena to tear her eyes off Angela, blinking and zipping out of the room with a quick goodbye. She had a girlfriend to get to right away. Mercy frowned as she turned to go back into the bathroom to dress. "You might be a little less stressed if you take that stick out of your ass, Soldier," she said, closing the door behind her and dressing. When she emerged, she felt a little more like herself, dressed in her favourite cream coloured, turtle neck sweater, black A-line skirt, and white doctor's coat. "Better? Now, what do you have planned that's so important to- what are you looking at?"

He looked up from the picture in his hand to see Angela standing the doorway. Not Mercy, but Angela. Her wet hair pulled up into a ponytail, face clean, smell of soap and cleanliness, coat resting perfectly on her shoulders with not a single wrinkle despite a few months of neglect. "Nothing," he replied, setting the picture face down on the bedside table and standing. "You're a doctor so you will do doctorly things. Follow."

As she followed him, she walked by the table and stuffed the picture into her pocket, wanting to know what it was. They stopped outside her office, punched in the code, and stepped inside. It was clean, like someone had fixed it up that morning, and Angela wondered if he had, but that seemed a little too nice. "All right, Commander, who exactly am I seeing first?" she asked, crossing her arms over her chest to face him.

"Me," he said, unzipping his coat and resting it on the chair nearby.

She paled visibly, holding her hands out to stop him. "No, no. I don't think that's a good idea," she said, grabbing his hands to stop him. An electric shock had her pulled her hands away, gasping at the feeling. "I am not checking you out. I mean, checking you. What exactly are you doing?"

He felt the shock too, but for a different reason. The familiarity of her touch had him frozen in place, hands resting on the collar of his black t-shirt. "I am trying to make you remember Overwatch and it's people, your past. To try and get this babysitting mission over with," he said, internally grinning at her words. Even as a brain-washed Mercy, she still stumbled over her words around him.

Babysitting mission? "And here I thought you were being a good citizen," she quipped, returning her arms to cross over her chest. "Very well, but keep the mask on. I'm sure your face is just fine."

It was startling how easily she slipped into a routine, grabbing her stethoscope to hear his heartbeat, using the sphygmomanometer to check his blood pressure, pressing her cold fingers against his body for any signs of bruises or breaks. There were a few bruises and a rib that was out of place, possibly from a past injury, but otherwise he was as healthy as he could be. "Well, my professional diagnosis is that you are still an asshole," she said, looping the stethoscope around her neck. "Anything else, soldier, or am I to return to my cell?"

He pulled his shirt back on and the jacket, shaking his head at her question. "You are not  _our_ prisoner, Mercy. Tell me something, how did they brainwash you?" he asked. "Maybe if we do the same you will return to us."

She paled at the thought, the images of Reaper between her legs made her sick. When Genji had proposed the idea, she had used his emotions about her against him, but with the tall and imposing Soldier 76 before her, it seemed almost too real a possibility. But it was Jack, her Jack, he would never do such a thing. Angela felt that familiar jolt through her brain at the thought of Jack, her hand going into her pocket and feeling the picture. Was it a picture of them? "Excuse me," she said, ducking under his gaze to retreat to the bathroom that was attached, slamming and locking the door behind her. She had to get away from him, everything he said and did reminded her of Jack, even if she didn't see his face. It was him, she knew, but the mask helped her forget. Pulling the picture from her pocket, she gasped, knees collapsing under her as she fell to the floor. It was her and Jack, on their first Christmas together, she was smiling up at him and he was smiling down at her, his arms wrapped around her. They were madly in love then, six months before the explosion, six months before her heart was ripped out of her chest. That pain coursed through her brain once more, a cry ripping through her lips as she crumpled the picture and through it in the trash.

"Mercy? Mercy, open the door!" she heard him call out from the other side, banging the door. She was a crumpled mess on the floor, clutching her head and screaming, crying all the while. Why couldn't he just get out of her head.


	10. Reassigned

_Christmas. The time for family and love. The time for peace. And there had been peace for near three months, both Angela and Jack were happy in their post-engagement bliss; he couldn't think of a time where he'd been happier. It was during Overwatch's Christmas party that they announced they were engaged, and the festivities turned into a full out celebration. More wine, more food, more mistletoe, anything to get the couple even closer together and the rest of the troupe excited. The only person who wasn't as excited as the rest was Gabriel, who sulked in the corner on his own with a beer in his hands._

_"All right you love birds, smile for the camera!" Lena said, hopping in front of the two and snapping a picture of them. Jack was looking down at Angela, his arm draped over her shoulder and holding her close, and her beaming smile was directed up at him. "Aw, you guys are just too cute!" The picture came out of the camera and she waved it in the air, finally handing it to them. Sure, it was an old piece of technology, but the British girl was sentimental in that nature._

_"Lena, do you have a pen?" Angela asked as she reached for the picture, not moving far away from her fiance. When she had the pen, she wrote on the bottom: 'First Christmas with Jack 3'. "Danke."_

_"Come on Ange, I got a present for you," Jack said, ushering her away from the group for a moment. He stopped in the doorway to the mess hall, and she looked up at him in surprise. Before she could ask, he tilted his head back to look up. Mistletoe. "That's only the bow. Care to unwrap the rest of your present?" His grin widened as she stood on her toes and flung her arms around him, pressing her ruby red lips against his and leaving no space between their bodies._

_His arms wrapped around her waist to hold her against him, not letting her go even if she wanted. Jack marveled at the soft warmth of her lips, the way her curvaceous body melted into his just right, and the ample curve of her buttocks as he trailed his hand down. Angela was silently begging him for more with gentle nips on his lips, pushing her tongue against his teeth to gain access. And who was he to deny such a beautiful angel? Their tongues touched and it was like a bolt of electricity went through him, surging him forward to kiss harder, tighten his grip on her, turn to pin his target to the wall behind, and press his ever increasing hardness into her._

_"Oh Jack," she said through bated breath as he pulled away from her lips to trail kisses down her chin and to her neck, finding a particularly sensitive spot by her throat. "We are not...doing this here...Jack…" Angela's voice was heavy with need and arousal, but even common sense and rationality could break through that haze._

_The Commander growled quietly into her neck, placing one more firm kiss to that same spot before pulling away. With the swiftness only a crazed man could have, he grabbed her hand and they bolted down the corridor towards the nearest room: hers. Her giggles echoed off the walls as they ran, vaguely reminding him of a time in his youth when he had done the same thing, but this was different. This was Angela. His Angela. Wasting no time in entering her code to get into her room, he pulled her inside and pushed her against the door the moment it closed._

_"You know my password?" she asked between kisses, running her well manicured fingers through his blonde hair._

_He hummed in agreement, resuming his assault on her neck. His strong hands began to trail up her body, sliding under the bright red sweater she wore and skimming over her skin. So soft. "I know everything about you, and I love you for all of them," he said into her skin, grinding gently against her core._

_Angela pushed him back and he looked at her with confusion, until he realized the expression on her face was skepticism. She didn't believe he knew everything about her. She was his fiancee, of course he would know! Jack grabbed her hand and walked backwards, leading her towards the bed as he spoke, "I know that you have a stuffed bear under your bed from when you were young, a gift from your father. You love thunderstorms even though you pretend to be scared; you cry when watching romantic movies because you love the idea of soul mates."_

_They had reached the bed and he sat down, still holding her hand and looking up at the beautiful blonde that was to be his wife. "I know that you love me, and you would do anything for this team. I also know that you'll beat the living hell out of anyone who doesn't follow the doctors orders," he added, smiling wide as she giggled. Reaching out to her waist, he pulled her towards him so that she straddled his lap, his hands ghosting down to cup her bottom once more. "And I know the code to get into your room."_

_She giggled and scoffed, shaking her head before leaning in to kiss him. "You may know all those things, but you don't know everything," Angela replied, pressing her lips to him again._

_He pulled away, a hurt expression on his face. "No? You really don't think so?" he asked, when his face suddenly twisted into an evil grin. Without warning, he wrapped his arms around her and spun so she landed on her back with a giggle. Hovering over her, Jack grabbed her wrists and pinned them above her head, bucking into her so she could feel his arousal. "I know all your weak spots, the ones that make you cry out louder than any other. Like this one here." Clutching her wrists with one hand, he shoved his hand under her sweater and cupped her breast, pinching her nipple slightly and she took a sharp intake of breath. His grin never faltered as he continued to fondle her, attacking her neck with harder kisses and nips._

_The time for words was now over, and he wanted to prove that he knew everything about her. Mind and body. Body and soul. Everything. She was his, and he was hers. Trailing back up, his lips finally found hers and for the moment he felt like he was complete and pure. She was his everything. She moaned into his mouth and he swallowed it greedily, taking advantage of her open lips to slip his tongue in and fight for dominance. All the while, he bucked into her like teenagers discovering foreplay._

_"Jack," Angela groaned into his mouth._

_His eyes popped open as he raised his head away to regard her, amusement on his face. "Yes?" he asked, lowering his head to her neck to nibble gently._

_She arched her back against his chest and he could feel her ample bosom and erect nipples against his chest, even through their clothes. "Stop teasing," she whispered, bucking her own hips against his erection._

_He groaned at the contact, resting his head in the crook of her neck to steady himself. There was no need to rush, they had all night, but she was impatient and wanted to get back to the party. He could have none of that; he would make her want to stay. Jack's gaze softened as he looked down at her, slowly pulling away to remove his sweater and reached for her hands to do the same. Angela sat up, biting her bottom lip and lifting her arms to be free of her bright red sweater, pulling her tank top off afterwards to fling it with abandon to the corner. Reaching behind her, the blonde man unhooked her bra and it too was flung with abandon to a corner, his own shirt following shortly after._

_His lips descended to her collarbone, nipping softly at her skin as he kissed down to her sternum. The doctor let out a sigh of content as his calloused hands skimmed over her exposed body, cupping her breasts and kneading them gently, gasping quietly as his teeth grabbed a nub. Her hands found their way to his hair, running her nails over his scalp and down his back, her legs tightening only to be stopped by his body. As he distracted her with his lips, one hand went to the button on her pants and undid them, dipping a hand beneath the seam of her underwear to caress her mound. She was absolutely soaked! Okay, maybe it wasn't the party she was eager to get to._

_"Please Jack," she whined, tugging on his hair to pull his attention back to her face. Surging forward, she pressed her lips against his and undid his belt, pushing down his pants and boxers without hesitation, using her feet to get them the rest of the way off._

_"Why so impatient?" he asked even as he shimmied out of his clothes. Not wanting to be the only one naked, he pulled down her bottoms in one go and they were both nude._

_She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him in answer, resting her legs on his hips and shivering at the feel of his hardened arousal against her dampened center. "Do you need more of an answer?" she whispered, using her thighs to pull him closer._

_Jack shook his head and rested his body against hers, lifting his head away from her to smile. Resting on his forearm by her head, her hands releasing his neck to trail over his chest, he cupped her cheek with his other hand. "I love you," he whispered, resting his forehead against hers, and suddenly the mood changed._

_What had once been a heated and eager moment became soft and tender, the butterflies of love fluttering in her belly as she looked up at him and leaned into his touch. "I love you too," she whispered, her fingers lightly touching his jaw as he kissed her again._

_The hand that cupped her cheek now went down to her thigh and lifted it higher, opening her wider for him and he pressed his pelvis forward, the tip of his member becoming enveloped by her silken folds. As he continued to push, their kiss was broken by soft gasps at the sensation, groans of pleasure as he filled her to the brim, and he again rested his forehead to hers. Enjoying their connectivity for only a moment, Jack pulled back and entered her again slowly, savoring the way her body shook beneath him. There was no rush, they weren't expected anywhere, and he wanted to enjoy this moment, he wanted to remember her just this way._

_Angela's breathing was heavy, her eyes closed as she focused on the pleasure building within her and her nails digging into his shoulders with every marvelous thrust. Blue eyes fluttered open when she felt a hand on her cheek, their gaze interlocking as he moved inside her, bucking a little harder to elicit a sharp gasp from his beloved. He loved those sounds, the ones that told him he was hitting just the right spot; he did it again and again, applying a little more pressure each time until she came undone around him. Helping her ride out her orgasm, he kissed her again, letting himself fall into the comfort and softness that was the blonde doctor._

_His own breathing became laboured as he could feel himself nearing his own end. Thrusting a little harder, pushing a little deeper, he grabbed her hand and interlocked their fingers, pressing his forehead to hers once more. "I love you," he whispered again, before falling into the depths of his own orgasm._

_She shuddered beneath him, tightening her grip on his hand as she let out a sigh of content. "I love you too," she repeated, closing her eyes and enjoying his warmth._

* * *

There was silence in the mess hall as the duo walked in, all eyes turning to look up at the return of their doctor. Mercy walked tall and proud to the back in the kitchen, keeping her eyes straight ahead and focused. 76 walked behind her, shoulders hunched like he was ready to spring on anybody that tried to tackle her. "Welcome back, Angela," came a familiar accent from the side. Mei. She walked into the kitchen behind them, wearing her pajamas and fluffy yeti slippers, empty mug in her hand.

The blonde doctor turned to her and blinked. Mei had once been her best friend, her closest confidante, conversing with each other over medical and environmental issues. "Ah, Mei, I see you awoke just in time to see everyone," she sneered. It was a low blow, bringing up the memory of Mei awakening from cryostasis to find her entire team in Antarctica dead, and she was the only survivor. Overwatch had spent weeks trying to get her back, finding her walking alone through the frozen tundra with her robot sidekick.

"Angela…" Mei whined, biting her lip to keep it from quivering.

Soldier 76 stepped forward and rested a hand on Mei's shoulder. "You'll have to excuse the doctor, she isn't herself, as you well know," he said, glaring at the blonde through his visor.

Mercy shrugged dismissively and resumed making her coffee, unperturbed by the horrible thing she said. Like she cared. Mei left the kitchen with her head down to seek comfort in Zarya's arms, the strong Russian had become her best friend now.

"What the hell is the matter with you?" 76 whispered harshly, cornering Mercy against the counter with his hands on either side of her body.

"Me? You brought me out here, it's not my fault if I don't care about these people," she said, leaning on one arm against the counter while the other grabbed his jacket zipper and began to lower it slowly, teasingly. "You're going to have to try a lot harder to break me, Soldier. Or should I call you,  _Kommandant_."

The soldier growled, pushing off the counter to bat her hand away, turning from her with his mind racing; her control was slipping, now using his emotions against him. This wasn't how it was supposed to go down.

"Attention, all Overwatch personnel to the meeting room," came Athena's voice over the intercom. "Attention, all Overwatch personnel to the meeting room immediately."

76 turned back to Angela and grabbed her arm, pulling her along. "Maybe a mission will get your head straight," he said with a quiet growl.

* * *

"What do you mean she didn't complete the transition?" came the deep voice from the large, dark man at the head of the table. His huge fist slammed down on the table, splintering the wood and echoing throughout the silent room.

Reaper stood with his arms crossed over his chest at the other end, glaring down at his leaders. The only two they had left, Doomfist and the omnic Maximilien, were doing what they could to keep their organization together. With all the internal struggle and betrayal, it was hard to trust anyone these days, but they trusted each other. Not so much their henchman.

"It would be wise to answer your Commander," the omnic said, adjusting the tie on his suit and looking at the shadowed man.

A growl was the only response he received. "You insolent swine!" Doomfist shouted, slamming his fist again and rising from his seat. "You have jeopardized this mission, and our only chance at having a doctor."

"Excuse me," came another voice from the doorway, a tall and regal looking redhead stepped in, her hair short and brushed back only amplifying the angular features of her face. "And what exactly am I?"

All heads turned to her, except for Reaper's. "Moira, you have excellent skill and aptitude when it comes to medicine, but Mercy is-" Maximilien began.

"Merely a toy with which this monster wishes to play. He is not helping the team, he is exacting revenge for his own gains," she interjected, coming in to stand next to the shadowed man with her arms behind her back.

Another growl from Reaper and Doomfist sat back down in his seat, one hand resting on his chin. "And what is this gain, Reaper? Jealousy? Love?" he asked after a beat, letting out a laugh.

"The very idea is laughable," Maximillien said, giving a robotic chuckle that did not suit the omnic.

"Only through conflict can we evolve," the Commander said, tapping his fingers against the splinters of the table. "But it seems this conflict is holding you back. Reaper, you are removed from this mission. Help Sombra with hacking Overwatch's computers. I will send someone in your stead." His gaze fell on Moira as she stood straighter with her head higher.

"It is not my preference to see to matters personally, but I will see them done," she replied, saluting her superiors and walking out of the room with Reaper in tow.


	11. Cornered

There was silence in the mess hall as the duo walked in, all eyes turning to look up at the return of their doctor. Mercy walked tall and proud to the back in the kitchen, keeping her eyes straight ahead and focused. 76 walked behind her, shoulders hunched like he was ready to spring on anybody that tried to tackle her. Mei walked up to her and, although he couldn't hear their conversation, her sudden look of horror and tearful gaze told Genji enough. Angela was being a bitch. He growled beneath his visor and rose from the table, hands planted firmly on the surface with his gaze fixated on Mercy. Mei had been her best friend, why would she treat her so coldly? And the team had to know who Soldier 76 really was, know that he was their leader from long ago, know that he-

"Patience, my pupil. Anger clouds your judgement, but their interactions will bring this world to light," Zenyatta said, his gaze on the duo in the kitchen.

Genji gave no retort as he resumed his seat, able to see the two clearly in the kitchen, the way she ran her fingers along his zipper, the way he leaned into the touch. But the older man pushed away, and a grin spread across the cyborg's face. At least it wasn't easy for the old leader, he was struggling just as Genji had. Good. "Master, I am still a man. Is it not acceptable for me to feel jealousy?" he asked, still watching the duo.

"Attention, all Overwatch personnel to the meeting room," came Athena's voice over the intercom. "Attention, all Overwatch personnel to the meeting room immediately."

Zenyatta rose from the table and regarded his student. "Jealousy is a strong emotion that can quickly turn to hate. Now is not the time for rash injustice. Come, Genji, we are summoned," he said, beginning to follow the others to the meeting room.

Genji rose as well, casting one more glance at his beloved as she was dragged through the throngs of people.

"Thank you all for joining so quickly," Winston said, standing before the group. Behind him on the holographic screen was a picture of the two junkers who had recently joined their ranks. "You all know Junkrat and Roadhog. Two days ago, we sent them on a recon mission and they haven't returned. Nor have they answered any calls or checked in. Athena believes they have been intercepted. We have to retrieve them."

"And where exactly are we going?" Pharah asked, standing to the side of a table with her arms crossed over her chest.

"Nepal," Winston replied, the holograph changing to a picture of the mountain temple.

* * *

Mercy had only ever been to Nepal once, looking for Genji after he had defected from Blackwatch and gone in search for his humanity. At the time, she had been so consumed by guilt that she was unable to see the beauty of the mountains that surrounded the temple. Now, with no emotions raging within her, she could take in the beautiful sight. And not one thought strayed to the cyborg ninja sitting next to her.

Tracer landed the Orca on a large platform on the far side of the temple, the large stone statues of omnic monks welcoming them on either side as the team of six stepped off the ship. Winston took the lead next to Pharah, while Soldier 76 and Mercy walked behind them, and Genji and Zenyatta followed. The two leads were talking about battle strategies, wondering which way to go in and what their best course of action would be; the two behind walked in silence, the soldier more focused on keeping their best doctor from fleeing. The two who flanked them were in deep, quiet discussion which dissolved into silence. Whatever it had been about, even Winston at the front could feel the tension emanating from the backlines.

The temple shook rigorously with the sounds of an explosion, the familiar hyena-like cackle from Junkrat coming from within. The team stopped to regard their partners before another detonation reverberated around them, a few loose stones from the aging statues tumbling to the walkway. "Are we just going to stand here and let them blow up the damn temple?" Soldier 76 asked, pushing his way between Pharah and Winston and heading to the steps that lead inside.

"We don't have a course of action yet, how do-"

"Get in, grab them, get out. Simple," came his interruption, whirling on his heel to regard the ex-Helix officer. "We don't have time to plan. Let's move out! Mercy, Winston, with me." With no room for argument, the team split up into two and proceeded forward, the other three moving through the left door while the others went through the right.

Mercy's heels clicked against the stone as they walked, a hallway to her right would lead them back outside, and a small room ahead was all she could see before the large expanse of the temple finally came into view. Stairs lead down to a platform on her left, and she could see her other team members heading for the walkway that bridged to the other side beyond that, the blue skies visible through the pillars. A small surge of adrenaline rushed through her at the idea of going into battle; being cooped up for days had left her feeling weak and useless, the waves of emotional turmoil had wrecked her psyche and all she wanted was something to do, a way to be useful. To anyone. Maybe this would be the trick to breaking her.

"Winston, take Mercy and head down that opening into the room below, wait for my signal. I'll go around and distract them," 76 said, but not before looking over his shoulder at the medic. "We're counting on you."

She blew through her lips and rolled her eyes, resting her staff over her shoulder and turning her head away from him. Like she should care who lived and died here. But a part of her did, the thought that their death would be her fault still nagged at the back of her mind. She was a doctor first and foremost. "Go, I'm with you," she replied, nodding her head towards the room.

Winston took a few tentative steps into the room, checking the ground for mines or traps that Junkrat was notorious for using. With the all clear, he stepped past the stone statue in the middle of the room and down the opening to land on top of a shelving unit, looking back up to see Mercy descending with angelic grace. With a nod, he took a step forward and pressed his back against the wall, the medic standing before him and able to see through two doorways to the platform ahead. This gave her a perfect view of Genji standing across the way on the bridge between two pillars, Zenyatta waiting next to him between another two pillars, and Pharah continuing her trek towards the other side of the temple.

Another explosion echoed nearby, closer than before, and the vibrations rattled Mercy's teeth. They were above her, trying to get into a vault that was nestled into the corner of the temple that housed the secrets and treasure of the omnic monks. Why they were trying to get those, she couldn't tell. From her vantage point, she saw the cyborg and the omnic run across the bridge and out of her sight, the sound of gunfire prominent as 76 released a few rounds into something close by.

"Oi, Roadie, keep 'em off me, wouldya?" came Junk's voice from upstairs, the tell tale thundering of Roadhog's massive feet stomping towards the platform was the only indication he was on the move.

"Winston, now!"

Moving into action, the scientist stepped out from behind the wall to leap onto the far side of the platform, barreling into Roadhog as he had reached the steps and sending him back against the wall. The window above him shattered, raining fragments of glass onto the duo as they stepped backwards up the stairs and towards the source of the explosions. Mercy followed quickly, her staff trained on the ape as he pushed the large man back. Gunfire began to echo from all around her, the familiar sound of Pharah's explosive weapon booming from within the room ahead of her. She could see shapes running about, but nothing solid that she could make out or say who it was.

A bullet whizzed past her, the heavy projectile whooshing past her ear and embedding itself into the wall behind. Widowmaker. Mercy snapped her head in search of the sniper, forgetting for the moment that she was supposed to be helping Winston to see the Talon agent nestled in the shadows on the far side of the temple. But Genji was already making his way towards her. On pure instinct, she flew to the cyborg's side as he approached, only for the woman to extend her grappling hook on a ledge and take off across the way. Adrenaline coursed through her harder this time as she spun to fly back to Winston, missing the sincere thanks Genji gave.

Soldier 76 was in the room to the left now, shooting at nothing as he spun in circles. "I hear you Sombra!" he shouted, spinning and swinging his rifle outwards. A chuckle answered him as she popped into view behind him, aiming her gun at his head. A large purple orb suddenly appeared over her as Zenyatta came into the fray, followed by a heavier orb to the face that caused her to careen backwards and lose her footing. Soldier spun and grabbed her by the throat, only for the hacker to disappear once more and leave the two alone. "Dammit!"

None saw the shadowed form of Reaper making his move around the backside to flank the Overwatch team. Pharah was in the air, firing at Roadhog as Winston leaped over him, trying to dismantle the bombs that Junkrat was continuing to set up. A large hook from the former lashed out at the ape, hooking against his armor and pulling him into closer range. Pharah loaded a concussion shot and fired at the ground between the two, knocking them both back and away from each other, saving Winston from the inevitable and deadly shot to the face.

"Mercy! I need healing!" came Genji's shout from the far side of the room, deflecting Widowmaker's automatic rifle shots but missing a few that became embedded in his body. Flying to his side, she trained her staff on him once more and it felt like old times. The purple hue was fading from her irises as her body fought against the urge to heal the sniper, focusing on her team, on the people who rescued her, and on the man she had loved.

Looking back, Angela saw Sombra sneaking up behind Pharah and lift her hand, a small holographic screen coming into view as she hacked the electronics within the suit and disable the thrusters. Falling towards the ground, she let out a yell and spun, her blaster cannon aimed at the hacker and firing, but not before the woman became invisible again and took off. With the aerial threat gone, Roadhog resumed his attack on Winston, pushing him back into the room and down the hole that lead to the platform.

With Genji able to fight again, Mercy flew across the temple and into the room, stepping behind Winston as Roadhog circled and ran backwards out of the room, the ape following. Then, there was a cackle from above as the medic found herself in the corner, clawed fingers wrapped around her throat and pinning her against the wall. "Ah, carino, so nice to see you again," his ghastly voice whispered in her ear.

She tried to fight, images of what he had done to her flashed in her mind as she dropped her pistol to claw at his wrist. Reaper easily hoisted her up onto the dresser against the wall, pressing himself between her legs and squeezing her throat just a little harder. "Gabriel, please-" she whispered, choking out the last syllable as he squeezed harder, using the wall as leverage.

"You made me a fool, strung me along like a puppet, made me  _feel_  for you,  _carino_ ," he hissed, lifting the bottom half of his mask so she could see the scars and discoloration of his jaw. "I wanted only you, still only want you. Don't you see that this was all for you?"

She struggled to breathe, trying to get her legs between his to push him back, but he held her so tight there was no room to move. How could he say Gabriel say he loved her when all he wanted was her to die? To get back at Jack for all the wrongs he had caused? "No...this isn't-"

"Shut up! Maybe one more dose will have you seeing things my way," he growled, using his free hand to fix his mask then reach behind his jacket to pull out a syringe. The familiar purple liquid inside terrified Angela, struggling as hard as she could to get away from the masked man, bringing an elbow down on his arm in the hopes of loosening his grip on her.

Genji had watched Mercy fly to Winston's aide, seeing the inky form of Reaper through the windows above her. He tried to call out, but Widowmaker was firing shot after shot at him from across the bridge, keeping him cornered and unable to help. "Mercy!" he called out, throwing shurikens at the sniper before sprinting across the deep opening in the floor. The chasm was black beneath him as he sailed through the air, focused only on getting their medic out of Reaper's grasp.

The solid thunk of boots above them was the only warning Reaper had before another masked man jumped down, grabbing him by the collar and yanking him away from his medic. Mercy let out a gasp for air, clutching her throat to ensure herself that those deadly fingers were no longer there. Positioning himself between them, 76 raised his rifle at the other man's face. "Don't make me do this, Reyes," he grunted, finger itching to squeeze the trigger.

He replied with a laugh before dissipating into smoke and fleeing the small room, the half full syringe falling from his pocket to clatter on the stone floor. Looking over his shoulder, the ex-commander could see the torment and pain all over Mercy's face, the horrendous reddening fingerprints on her throat, and the way she clutched her neck as if those fingers were still there. "Mercy," he said, turning sideways to face her. "Angela, snap out of it! We have a job to do."

Her beautiful blue eyes looked up from the ground to regard him, blinking twice before nodding and sliding off the dresser. Her hands were shaking as she bent to grab the syringe and pocket it, reaching for her staff and pistol next. When she looked up, Genji was in one of the doorways, his body tense and shoulders squared. "I'm fine," she snapped, taking a step towards him when another shot rang out and the cyborg jolted forward. Time seemed to slow down as he vaulted forward, the green lights on his body dimming before he completely toppled forward and to the ground, the sniper across the way aiming for them.

"Get him up, I'll cover you," 76 said, running forward and kneeling to fire at the sniper just as she grappled herself out of sight.

Kneeling down by the ninja, Mercy rested her hand on his back and closed her eyes. In that moment, the feeling of bringing someone back from the brink of death, ignited a fire that overrode the poison Talon had injected into her, overrode the pressing urge to stab 76 in the back, and brought her right back to Overwatch.  _Heroes never die_ , she thought, gritting her teeth as she focused hard. Her body and staff began to glow a luminescent gold, encasing the body on the floor as he healed and was revived. She heard his deep intake of breath as life was forced back into him, the gentle whirring of his body starting up again and the green lights lit up on his body. "Get up, Genji," she ordered, rising from her kneeling position as the other arose. They regarded each other for a moment before the ninja nodded once and dashed out of the room, in search of Widowmaker to exact his revenge.

"Good job, kid," Soldier said, rising from the ground to look over his shoulder at her, stepping into the open as she followed.

"I'm not a child, Jack. And don't mistake me for someone who cares about your opinion," Mercy said, looking around the temple to see who needed aide.

He grunted and stepped forward, heading towards the stairs when a loud roar echoed above him, a tumbling mess of Winston and Roadhog tumbling towards them. The giant ball of madness and growling knocked the blonde medic back into the nearest wall, while knocking the soldier over the edge on the other side and down the chasm.

"No!" Mercy screamed, racing towards him with an outstretched hand, only for Reaper to appear from nowhere and grab her around the midsection. Twisting her upper body, she elbowed the wraith in the face, knocking him back as she leaped over the side towards the falling ex-commander.  _He can't die, I can't lose him again!_

At the sound of her scream, Genji had stopped his battle with Widow to look for her, to save her, help her, anything he could do. He wasn't expecting her to leap over the edge. "Angela!" he yelled for her, the sniper's continuous onslaught forcing him to look away from her.  _No, I can't lose her again._

As she plummeted down the deep chasm, she called out to him, her hand reaching for him as her wings propelled her forward. He turned best he could in mid air to see her flying towards him, tears streaking her face as she fell with him.  _Why? Why risk her life?_  "Pharah, I need you," she said into her earpiece, grabbing hold of 76's jacket and pulling him close. Without hesitation, Angela looked above them to see Pharah hovering over the opening and reached for her, her staff seeming to pull them towards the hovering woman. With only the grace Mercy could muster, they began their angelic descent to the platform where she dropped him and fell to her knees panting hard. "Danke."

"We have to move," someone grumbled in her ear, grabbing her by the arm and half dragged her to cover behind a wall. She could hear the clacking of Pharah's booted feet follow them as they slumped against the wall, the doctor still panting for breath. She had nearly died for a man she had been nothing but awful to, for a team that she was sure hated her, all despite the fact she could still feel some of the Talon's poison running through her body. But it was most definitely thinning. Was that all it took? Fighting with her team to bring her back? Surely, it couldn't be that easy.

"We can't win this, we need to retreat," the Egyptian woman said, balancing on the balls of her feet and leaning one hand against the wall by Mercy's head. "We are going to lose her  _again_  if we keep this up, and you are nothing but unpredictable."

"We are not leaving," 76 grunted in response, pushing off from the wall to stand. "Stay here with her then, there's unfinished business."

"No, don't leave me again," Angela said, moving swiftly to her knees to grab his hand, looking up at him with imploring eyes.

He bent at the waist so their faces were closer, his gloved hand coming up to caress her face. At his proximity, she could see his eyes through the red glass of his visor, could see the pain it caused him to leave her, to cause her this sorrow again.  _I'll be back_ , he said without speaking, patting her cheek once and then running around the corner and back into the fray.

More explosions echoed off the far side of the temple, Mercy rising to her feet to get out of hiding. "No, we stay here," Pharah said, resting a heavy hand on her shoulder and pushing her against the wall. Gritting her teeth, she shrugged the hand off and made to move again, only to be intercepted by an angry face. "I said, we're not leaving."

"Those are our friends, Fareeha, we can't just leave them," Mercy countered, forcibly pushing the hand off her shoulder.

"So we're your friends again? All it takes is some danger and someone possibly dying for you to get your head straight?"

The blonde furrowed her brows in response, tightening her jaw as she regarded her friend. But was she really her friend? No, this was her enemy, there was no way a friend would speak to her like that. Growling softly, she pushed Pharah back and raised her pistol to the woman, spreading her legs in a dominant stance. No, she didn't want to do this, she didn't want to shoot Pharah. The serum! "Pharah...get me...the goddamned soldier," she said through clenched teeth, looking away just as the purple hue returned to her eyes. She couldn't be slipping, not now. "Get me 76!"


	12. A Twisted Memory

Her breathing had become ragged, shortened in shaky breaths as if it pained her, her eyes squeezed shut as she tried to stave off the impending onslaught of Talon's poison. Angela was on her knees, nails carving half moons into the palm of her hands as she struggled to keep the haze at bay, a thin sheen of sweat moistening her hair to her face. Pharah had gone off in search of Soldier 76, the man not answering to her calls on the communications device. And despite the crazed, animalistic glares she was getting from the medic, she knew it would be better to do as was asked.

Mercy didn't want to feel this way, as if fire were coursing through her veins, only to be followed by rivets of icy cold that caused her body to shiver; spasms of pain wracked her body as nausea swept through her, teasing and hinting at a violent expulsion. Tears formed in the corner of her tightly closed eyes, not wanting anyone to see the purple hue that that inched its way back into her irises. This was not who she was, this was not who she wanted to be, and the only person who could help her, the only person who knew who she really was, was Jack. She needed Jack. Where was that damned soldier?

Seeing only red and fueled by rage, 76 had gone off in search of Reaper. He could hear the commands from Pharah in his ear piece, but he ignored them, running hard to the other side of the temple where the wraith had disappeared. This was the last time that monster would hurt Angela.

"76, come in! For god's sake, it's Mercy! She needs you," Pharah yelled at him through the comm once more, making the man stop in his tracks. Just on the other side of the stairs in a small alcove, he could see Reaper watching him, shoulders squared and head angled down as if taunting him. Behind him, he could hear the woman's jets as she hovered on the other side of the room. "I'll finish him. Justice will be swift. Go!"

Reaper's shoulders moved as if he were chuckling, raising a hand towards the soldier and beckoning him forward, completely ignoring Pharah. "Come on, boy scout, avenge your love," he called to him with a wicked laugh.

Suddenly, a rocket from above hit just inside the alcove, Reaper's cries of pain reaching 76's ears as he looked up to see Pharah getting closer. "I said move it, Soldier!" she yelled, chasing after Reaper down the corridor.

76 growled and shook his head, heading back to Mercy and putting his revenge on hold.

Meanwhile, Angela had managed to pull herself up into a sitting position, leaning against the wall with her head tilted back and gasping for air. This was worse than last time, the poison trying to be expelled by the healing in her suit only amplified the pain as it fought against her. What a vicious and twisted toxin this was.

"Ah, Dr. Ziegler, we meet again," came a voice from the hall next to the woman, a red haired woman stepping into view.

"Moira," Angela huffed out, panic seeping into her core. She shook her head and craned her head. "Stay away from me."

The Irish woman clucked her tongue as she kneeled down in front of the other, raising a slender brow and tilting her head. "Is that any way to greet an old friend?" she asked, an amused grin on her face.

"You are no friend of mine," came the quick retort as Mercy tried to shuffle away from her.

But Moira was quick to snatch her chin in her hand, her long claw-like fingernails digging into the pale flesh. "So quick to begrudge," she chided, twisting her wrist so that their eyes were forced to meet. "How do you like my concoction? Intoxicating, isn't it?" She lifted her right hand to show the purple haze that engulfed it, a small orb forming in her palm as she brought it closer to Mercy's face.

"No, please…" the blonde whined, trying to pull away but the grip on her chin was too strong against her weakened state.

"Ah, you remember," she said, the grin turning into something wicked and cruel. As the ball in her hand grew bigger, a tendril reached out to the blonde and began to pull at her essence, a white mist coming from her body. "Tell me how this feels. Be specific, doctor."

Angela could feel the rest of her strength leave her body, her energy being siphoned and her will to live dwindled. Cold began to wrack her body as exhaustion swept through her.  _Perhaps it is better this way_ , she thought, eyes closing as she waited for the cold embrace of death. But it never came, the pull ceased and Moira had disappeared. Blue eyes opened to see she was alone, heavy boots running towards her finally reached her ears and she looked up to see Soldier 76 rounding the corner to look down at her.

"You look like shit," he said, kneeling down to rest his rifle against the wall beside her and pull his healing contraption from his belt.

"Moira…" she whispered, furrowing her brow as she struggled to point out the evil doctor.

"What?" he inquired, just as a tendril attached to his back. He fell forward onto his hands, grunting hard as it pulled his strength from him.

"Your body decays. Your strength ebbs. And when there is nothing left, your power will be mine," Moira said, coming from behind the corner as she approached the weakened duo. When the man was drained to her satisfaction, she pulled forth the purple orb once more and readied to cast it towards them.

"Fire in the hole!"

The redhead looked up from the Overwatch members towards the hall, to see the contraption of an explosive tire heading towards them. She grinned and took a step away from them, the orb disappearing as she closed her hand. "It seems our time together has come to a close. Thank you for your contributions," she said, her face paling as the rip-tire continued its mad trek towards her. "No! What are you doing, imbecile?" Moira disappeared, making a dash towards the other side of the temple but still the tire followed her until she was backed into a corner. The explosion that followed left nothing behind.

Soldier 76 pushed himself up onto his knees, holding the nearby wall for support as he pulled out his biotic field and slammed it on the ground. He could feel its healing begin to work immediately, engulfing him and the doctor to undo Moira's damage. "Angela, talk to me," he said, shuffling closer to her and resting a hand on her shoulder.

The blonde looked up at him and raised a weary hand to his face, resting it on his mask as she gave him a tired smile. "Thank you," she said, feeling life bloom back into her body.

He let out a relieved sigh, leaning into her touch as he nodded. "Never leave a teammate behind," he replied.

Her smile faded as she looked down to her other hand, the half-full syringe resting in her palm. "I'm sorry," she said, lunging at the other side of his neck and holding him steady with her hand. The needle punctured his skin as he threw himself forward, pushing Mercy back against the stone and knocking the syringe from her hand and out of his neck. "No, I must...complete the mission!"

76 said nothing, keeping her wrists pinned by her head and her hips down by his own. If he wanted to cure her, they just had to ride it out.

"Oi, sorry 'bout the mess you two, I uh...what's goin' on here?" came Junkrat's amused voice by the door, Roadhog behind him breathing heavily. "Oh, I see! Ya think you can have some alone time while the gang's out fightin' for a cause. Nice one!"

The soldier shook his head and grunted, not moving from the pinned woman beneath him. "You two all right?" he asked, keeping his gaze down on the flushed and flustered blonde.

"Fit as a fiddle! Let's get a move on, we don't have all day," Junkrat said, hobbling past them as his peg leg clicked on the stone. Roadhog followed, not giving them another look.

"Soldier 76, come in," came Winston's voice from the comm device in their ears.

The older man raised Angela's hand to his ear, hovering by the device. "Press it," he ordered, and she did as she was told. "Here."

"Did you get to Mercy?"

"Yes," he said, lowering her wrist gently back down to the ground once the device had an open connection.

A relieved breath came through before the scientist spoke again, "That's great! Talon has fled, we're heading to you."

Jack sat up on his knees, pulling Angela with him but not releasing her wrists. "Don't make me cuff you, Angela," he said, finally letting go of one wrist to reach past her for the syringe. He held it up for them to see, the creases in his forehead showing his disapproval. "We get back, we're going to find a cure and get you out of this mess. No more bullshit, Ange. Let's go." He stood and pulled her with him, clasping her wrist tight as he pocketed the toxin and dragged her towards the entrance. So far, the mission was a success.

* * *

It wasn't until they had reached headquarters that he started to feel the impact of the toxin, battling against his regenerative powers. There shouldn't have been enough injected to cause this much pain, but he began to sweat profusely, tearing off his leather jacket and flinging it to the floor. Jack began to pace, throwing his visor onto the bed as he tried to focus, steele himself against the pain that began to wrack his body. He understood a little now about what Mercy was going through, but hers was perhaps ten-fold as she had now been injected with an entire syringe. One and a half really…

As he paced, his mind was assaulted with visions of his past, but with no one to guide the hate and fear, it grew wild and rampant. Memories of fights, battles, bloodshed, war. Love found, love lost. Angela. Gabriel. Death. Standing over his own headstone and remembering the eerie sensation wash over him as he read his name on that stone slab, Commander. No heartfelt sentiment followed, no praise of his glory in life, simple and direct.

_A flash of Angela, so young, by his hospital bed with Gabriel behind her, watching with hungry eyes as she moved past him. Jack wasn't supposed to be awake then, but he had begun to regain consciousness._

_"How's he doing, Doc?" Gabriel asked, turning away from the wounded soldier to watch her remove her lab coat and drape it over a chair._

_She sighed in reply, hands gripping her coat before looking up past the Blackwatch Commander to her patient lying comatose. "He will be okay," came her response, unclenching her jacket long enough to pick up a clipboard and write before setting it on her desk._

_"Will you?"_

_She finally brought her blue eyes up to the man who addressed her, biting her lip to ward off the coming tears. It was so hard to see Jack like this, to have seen him covered in blood and to pull out six bullets from his body herself, stitch him up and wrap him in gauze. Up until now, she hadn't shed a single tear, hadn't uttered a single word of remorse or regret, not even a sniffle, and it felt like she was going to explode. "I don't know," she replied, gripping her hands together tight in front of her, her voice wavering from strain._

_It took three steps for Gabriel to close the distance between them, pulling her into a hug and putting a hand upon her head to rest it against his shoulder. Still, she didn't cry, but he comforted her anyways, placing a gentle kiss upon the crown of her head. "You will be, I've got you," he said, looking over his shoulder at the sleeping Overwatch Commander. One way or another, he would finally have her all to himself._

Soldier 76 growled hard in frustration, looking up to see he had planted his fist in the wall, a huge indentation around his hand. There was no pain as he watched the few dribbles of blood fall from his hand to the floor, no pain except when he thought of her. Was this what she experienced when they first came across each other? That horrendous scream she emitted when she escaped into the bathroom, clutching her head and curling up on the floor? She was thinking of him. Angela was remembering Jack, but it hurt her so much that she tried to push it from her mind, tried to forget because it was too painful.

Pushing off the wall, he stomped to his visor and put it on before leaving his room, a destination clearly in mind as he walked the halls. No one was around, all having retired to their own quarters for rest after the mission. They would say it was a success, but 76 saw it as otherwise, as now Mercy was more messed up than before. And having a glimpse into what she was experiencing, he had to make sure she was okay.

His feet brought him to her door, hand hovering over the keypad to get in when he stilled, ears perking at the sound on the other side. Crying. Not heavy sobbing, but weak and pitiful like she was trying to hide. Heart breaking at the sound and a slight twinge in his head, he pressed the numbers on the pad to open the door to a dark and destroyed room. The bed had been ripped apart, the only lamp had been flung against a wall and the nightstand was on the clothes littered floor, the desk on the other end had been toppled with papers strewn around it. She had completely demolished her room. Why? "Angela?" he called to her, stepping in just as the door closed and locked behind them.

Sniffles in the far corner told him where she was, so he removed his visor to toss it to the ground, making his way to that corner as his eyes adjusted. There she was, huddled between the walls with her head in her hands, and trying to soothe her tears by rocking gently. She looked up at the sound of his voice, the threat of harder sobbing becoming apparent by the choked sound she made and turned away from him. "Get out," she whispered, biting her bottom lip.

He said nothing and stood before her, debating on how to address this situation. A part of him wanted to grab her and shake some sense into that blonde head of hers, but the other part wanted to kneel down and hold her, tell her everything would be okay. But he didn't know if that was the truth, and he didn't want to lie to her. So he opted for plan C; bending his knees to balance on the balls of his feet, he grabbed her shoulder and turned her towards him, the pain from the toxin now a dull tingle in the back of his head. His regenerative powers were working against it to filter it out, and he'd be good as new in no time.

She snarled at him like a caged beast, pulling roughly from his grasp to lean as far as she could into the wall, just trying to get away from him. "I don't want to hurt you," she said through clenched teeth, hugging her knees tighter to her chest and gripping her arms tight to keep them from lashing out at him.

Jack snorted with mild amusement, grabbing her wrists and pulling towards him as he sat back, forcing her to re-position to her knees so they could finally look at each other. His plan was now in motion, the plan to get his Angela back, and Genji be damned. Torture didn't work, throwing her back into battle didn't work, he had only one option left. Moving slowly so as not to startle her, he leaned forward and stopped mere inches from her lips, looking down at them before flicking back up to her eyes. She was scared. Letting go of one wrist, he rested his hand upon her cheek and used his thumb to wipe away the tear stains, keeping his eyes on hers should she try to attack or, at the very least, break through Talon's hold.

Angela's bottom lip quivered at his touch, holding back the tears at his action, her free hand gripping his knee to keep herself from attacking. It was a tender moment, one she hadn't had in so long, when a memory flashed in her mind.

_She pulled away from Gabriel's embrace, smiling up at him weakly before glancing over at the unconscious Overwatch Commander in the hospital bed. Six bullets she had pulled out, six wounds she had sutured, and more had she covered with gauze. He was a real mess. "Thank you," she said quietly, looking back up to the man who still rested his arms on her shoulders. "You may leave now. I have other patients to tend to."_

_Gabriel nodded and removed his arms, not moving from his spot in front of her. She could tell there was something on his mind, but he said nothing, instead nodding once more and leaving. Angela let out a heavy sigh before walking over to the monitor next to her lover's bed, ensuring everything was in place before intending to leave. Suddenly, she gasped as a hand clasped her wrist. Looking down, she saw it was Jack's, and a wave of relief washed over her. Tears began to brim in her blue eyes as she waited for him to open his, but they didn't. "Jack?" she called out softly, leaning forward to press a kiss to his forehead, closing her eyes in the process. "Please wake up."_

_The grip on her wrist tightened, and his other hand was in her hair, pulling her down to his lips in a chaste and possessive kiss. It was only a second before she realized something was wrong, those weren't Jack's lips. Pulling hard, Angela managed to free herself from his grasp to look down and see Gabriel. Or whatever was left of him. "You can't escape me, carino," he hissed, his voice deep and guttural. Flakes of his skin were peeling off as she looked at him, sunken cheeks lead to dead, red eyes, and his lips curled into a fanged grin._

_"No!"_

"No! Leave me alone!" she screamed, pulling away from him and hurling herself into the corner. Angela hadn't managed to reach the wall before a pair of strong arms encircled her, pressing her head to a broad chest and a hand was running through her hair. She couldn't hear the words being whispered to her for a high pitched whine began to rupture inside her head. Tears forced their way out of her ducts as she clutched his shirt like a lifeline, sobbing against the pain that continued to radiate within her. "Just leave me alone!"


End file.
